Awakening
by Kitty Bandit
Summary: What if when you died, you were reborn? What if your past life could influence your current one? What if you loved so deeply and so truly that when you met your past love, you just knew it? What if things in your past life weren't resolved, and came back to haunt you? Reincarnation AU. Lavi/Allen, Kanda/Lenalee
1. Chapter 1

_When I left the warm surroundings_  
_Of my selfish, difficult stage_  
_When our eyes first met there was deja vu_  
_And a feeling I could not shake_

_Then when gravity seduced me_  
_And drew me to this place_  
_I could swear we were together_  
_In an entirely different age_

_Say hello to your future_  
_I'm just pleased to meet you_  
_You were a million miles away_  
_Say hello to your lion's heart_  
_Queen Victoria's England_  
_Will never ever be the same_

_Darren Hayes - The Future Holds a Lion's Heart_

_xXxXxXxXx_

The rhythmic beat of rock music in the background left Lavi tapping his toes on the floor in time with Rock Steady by Bad Company as it played from the jukebox in the corner. Brushing back his red hair, he quickly filled the tall beer glass with Guinness from the tap, the foam nearly spilling out the top before he shut the pump off and handed it to the man on the other side of the bar. "Here you go," Lavi said, taking the money left in front of him.

"Thanks," the man said, leaving the bar to head back to his table where his friends were waiting.

Lavi hummed a few bars of the song as it played, cleaning the counter of leftover coasters and the sticky remains of half spilled drinks. It was only nine, but The Flame was practically dead. Besides the group of men at the far corner table that were watching highlights from last night's basketball game, only a couple of people were still sitting around and nursing their drinks. It would be a bad night for business, but Lavi was almost glad for the reprieve. The weekend had been crazy when they introduced a popular local band to play on Saturday. He and Kanda had been cleaning up the broken beer bottles since that night, and he still had yet to take a hose to the alley wall. Why drunk men needed to piss outside on his bar wall was beyond him. The redhead was certain his bathrooms were plenty clean. Hell, they had to be! The guys never used them!

Tossing the coasters in the garbage, Lavi sighed and leaned against the counter and shoved his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans. He was going to be bored if he kept the bar open until two. Just as he was about to clean the rest of the dirty glasses, a grunt of displeasure distracted him. Kanda, his unruly employee who seemed to boss him around instead of vice versa, kicked the bar flap door open and grumbled to himself.

"Whoa, easy Yuu! I just replaced that thing!" he cried out, wincing as the door slammed against the hard oak of the bar.

"I am never cleaning that fucking bathroom drain again," Kanda all but shouted. His usually clean appearance was in shambles. His clothes were dirty and wet, and his long dark hair, which had been tied back neatly in a ponytail, was now falling loose from its ties. "And I told you before! Don't call me Yuu!"

"Geez. Chill, buddy!" Lavi replied, hoping to calm Kanda's foul mood. "It's not like it even has to be done again for a long time. I'll make Sal or someone do it next. It was just so dead, I figured we should get something done."

Kanda just glared at him. "Never again."

"Fine, fine!" Lavi surrendered, not wanting to argue anymore. "Look, if you want to leave early, I think I can handle the rest of the night by myself. It's dead here. It's probably the weather. A foggy night like this has people scared to drive much."

"Tch, whatever," Kanda spat out, not wanting to waste any more time with it. He grabbed his motorcycle helmet from under the bar and headed towards the door.

"Not even a thank you?" Lavi called back, leaning over the bar as the dark haired man left. Kanda didn't turn around or say anything, but he did throw his hand in the air, in what looked like a half-assed attempt at a wave. Lavi laughed as the door shut behind his friend.

Still chuckling, Lavi continued to clean the bar and serve the few patrons who decided to leave home despite the nasty weather. Nearly an hour passed and Lavi was already feeling dead tired. The bar had mostly cleared out, but the few stragglers left him with no choice but to stay open. He had exhausted most of his cleaning duties already and was left with nothing to do but listen to the jukebox and watch news highlights on the television. He considered taking a nap in one of the corner booths, but scratched the idea as quickly as it came. He knew as soon as he decided to sneak away for a cat nap, he was sure to get a rush of customers. Just as he was about to look through their lost and found box for a misplaced book or magazine to read, the door opened.

Lavi's green eyes widened as he saw the young man enter the bar. He had light brown hair, cut nearly to his shoulders, and wore a black coat dotted in raindrops. Lavi watched as the young man walked to the bar and sat down. He set his leather messenger bag down next to him and slipped out of his jacket as he shook the water off him. Some glistening beads still hung in his hair as he turned to Lavi with a gentle smile.

The redhead shook himself out of whatever spell the brunette had put him under, and managed to find his tongue. "What can I get you?" he asked, leaning on the counter.

"Hm," the brunette mumbled, almost distracted. "Just a gin and tonic, please."

"Coming right up," Lavi replied, making the drink with expert hands. He had made the drink a million times before and didn't even need to look as he was preparing it. His eyes watched the young man as he pulled a notebook and a few pens out of his bag, flipping the pages until he reached his latest notes. Lavi slid the drink in front of him, lime wedge and all. "Gin and tonic," he confirmed.

"Thank you," the brunette replied, that same smile sneaking up and hitting Lavi right in the chest. He went to work in his notebook, concentrating on the pages in front of him and leaving the redhead out of his thoughts.

"You're welcome," he added, taking a step back and pretending to clean the already pristine bartop. Lavi couldn't keep his eyes from wandering back to the newcomer. He hadn't seen the man in his establishment before, and Lavi made a point of remembering his patrons. Despite the immediate attraction Lavi felt, he tried to brush it off. The last thing he needed to do was hit on his customers, especially new ones. What kind of reputation would that get his bar? Shaking his head of the thought, he went back to cleaning.

The brunette minded his own business, working on the papers in front of him with a look of concentration on his face. He only touched his drink a few times, instead his focus on whatever was on the paper. As Lavi cleaned, he craned his neck, trying to get a look without being caught blatantly staring. In fact, he was certain he would have been caught by now if the guy hadn't been concentrating on the task at hand, scribbling down notes and scratching others out.

This went on for nearly half an hour, the brunette working diligently as he nursed his gin and tonic and Lavi doing his best to look busy when all he was really trying to do was get a better look at the stranger. It was bothering the redhead, how oddly infatuated he was with the guy. He wasn't usually this struck by someone he just met.

Something in his mind told him to talk to the guy, even if he seemed distracted and busy. Lavi didn't want to be rude, but the urge was welling up inside him like a balloon ready to pop. A few more minutes passed and Lavi couldn't keep himself quiet anymore. Something about the guy intrigued him, and he had to know more about him. Though he had never seen the brunette before, Lavi felt as if he was so familiar.

Casually, he struck up a conversation. He was the bartender after all. Wasn't that part of the gig? Talking to patrons? "So, I haven't seen you around before. Are you new in town?" Lavi asked, and almost winced at how corny the lines sounded.

Lucky enough for Lavi, the man didn't seem to notice his awkwardness. "Actually, I am. I just moved here with my friend a few days ago. I'm Allen, by the way."

"Lavi," the redhead replied, tossing his cleaning towel over his shoulder. When Allen met his gaze, Lavi felt his heart stop, just for a second. He had the most beautiful blue eyes Lavi had ever seen. He would've continued staring into them forever, if such a thing were possible. Instead of going with that first instinct, he cleared his throat and kept talking. "Mind if I ask what you're working on? You seem pretty focused on it."

Allen took a sip from his drink, unfazed by the bartender's forwardness. "No, I don't mind," he said, setting the notebook aside. "I'm just working on some song lyrics."

Lavi smiled at the handsome man. "Music, huh? Are you in a band?" Lavi was a bit surprised. Allen didn't look the part of a musician, at least the ones he had met so far. The brunette dressed too neatly, in Lavi's opinion. Most musicians were dressed in ripped jeans, t-shirts, and shit like that. Allen, however, was dressed in a clean button-up shirt and his pants had no holes that Lavi could see.

"Yes," Allen answered, smiling politely. "My roommate and I have a band. We're called Innocence."

"Good name. What kind of music do you play?" Lavi inquired, leaning against the edge of the bar.

"We do a bit of everything. Mostly alternative rock."

"My favorite," the redhead commented. "So, I'm guessing you moved to the city to find work?"

Allen nodded as he took another swig from the drink. "Yes. We've outgrown our hometown, I'm afraid. We're looking for any place that will take us for a gig. I just came here to work on some new songs. I think better when I'm in a public place."

"Well, it just so happens that I'm the proprietor of this fine establishment," Lavi bragged, a smirk on his face. "If you have a CD of your work, I might be able to have you do a live show. We do them on Friday and Saturday nights. Pay is pretty good, too."

Allen's face lit up at the mention of a paying gig. "Really? That would be fantastic!" He rustled through his leather bag until he found what he was looking for. He handed over a generic looking CD with the word "Innocence" written on it in perfect script. Lavi wondered if it was his handwriting or his roommate's. "This is a mix of some of our work. Oh! And here!" He flipped the notebook page over to a blank one and scribbled numbers on it. "This is my cell phone number. Let me know if you want us to play."

"Will do," Lavi replied, looking down at the paper with the phone number written on it and the name Allen Walker.

Allen looked too excited. He folded up his notebook and shoved it back in his bag, then quickly finished off his drink. "I've got to go tell Lena. She's going to freak." He left cash on the bar for the drink and smiled as he threw his jacket back on. "Thanks, Lavi. I hope this works out. This would be a great break for us."

"I hope so, too," Lavi replied as Allen dashed out of the bar. He looked down at the CD and the phone number in his hand, a smile on his face. After a moment, he shook his head. What was he thinking? He tucked the note and the CD under the bar and sighed. Looking at the clock, he realized it was only 10:30. The redhead groaned and found himself a seat. It was going to be a long night.

_xXxXxXxXx_

The rain hadn't let up for nearly an hour and Lenalee was starting to wonder where Allen had gotten to. He left their shared apartment in the hopes of finding some inspiration for the new song they were working on, but once the weather turned, she worried. They only been in town for a few days and hadn't had a chance to really explore the city. Lenalee knew her way to the grocery store, her part-time job at the record store, and strangely enough, the hardware store. Their apartment was less than stellar and she and Allen had spent half their first day fixing broken things. So far, they needed to repair the toilet, the kitchen sink, replace at least four light bulbs, and reinforce a remarkably unstable kitchen cabinet. Their home improvement skills were sorely tested.

Even with the rough start, the apartment was coming along well. Everything was cleaned and most of the boxes they used to move were already empty and broken down into a neatly stacked pile. Though the apartment took some work to be livable, Lenalee was pleased with it. There were two bedrooms, a spacious living room, kitchen, and a bath. The apartment building was actually an old house remodeled for apartment living. Lenalee could tell by the strange way the apartments were laid out. Each apartment was different, and no floor plan was the same. It made for an interesting living space, with large windows and strange angles to rooms. However, the old building came with its own set of problems, as the first day had easily shown.

There were still a few boxes in the kitchen, five in total, that needed to be unpacked. Lenalee had set up her room as she wanted and she now moved to the kitchen to finish up. They spent the past few days organizing everything, and even though she was dead tired, Lenalee pushed herself to keep cleaning and putting away things. She just couldn't sleep peacefully with cardboard boxes in her apartment for one more night.

Hanging her ivy on the hook by the large kitchen window, she smiled. The plant really brightened up the room. Lenalee loved plants, and planned to fill the apartment with them. She appreciated the way the ivy brought life into what was now her place. With a sigh, she shook her head. She couldn't quite think of this place as her home yet, but the plants were helping. Just as she was about to find a place for another potted plant, she heard the jingle of keys outside the door. She smiled and moved to the living room, fern in hand.

Allen entered the apartment, a giant grin on his face as he closed the door behind him. When he spotted his friend and band mate, his smile grew twice as large. "Great news, Lenalee!" he announced, tossing his bag on the futon by the wall.

"Let me guess," she started, nearly laughing at how giddy he seemed. It was contagious. "You managed to find your way back without getting lost?"

"Well, yes! But that's not what I'm talking about," Allen replied, brushing off the dark haired woman's joke. "We might have a paying gig!"

Lenalee's eyes widened in excitement. "Really? How did you manage that?" she asked, setting the plant on the coffee table, her mission of organization temporarily derailed.

"I went to this bar, The Flame. It's not too far from here, actually. But I started talking with the bartender, who happened to be the owner. When he found out I was in a band, he asked to hear our music! I left him my number and a CD. If he likes it, he said he would hire us!"

A smile plastered itself on Lenalee's face as she grabbed Allen and squeezed him into a tight hug with her free arm. "Allen! That's wonderful!"

"I know! Only three days and we already have a maybe gig? I'm starting to think this move was a good idea.

Lenalee's smile never left her face as she pulled back from Allen and grabbed the fern from the coffee table. "Yeah, I know it was hard leaving family, but we need a chance to prove ourselves. If we can make it here, we can make it anywhere." She walked back into the kitchen, setting the plant in the middle of the tiny kitchen table the previous tenants had left in the apartment. It was only big enough for two people to eat at, but it was still useful considering the lack of countertop space. "Did you get any writing done?" she asked, after she adjusted the plant to the perfect spot on the table.

"A little. It's still not perfect yet."

"Well, it's getting late. Help me get the rest of these boxes cleaned up. We're so close to being completely moved in."

Allen's shoulders slumped at the suggestion. He took his coat off and hung it on the coat rack. "Aw, c'mon, Lena. Can't we just go to bed? I'm tired."

Lenalee's smile turned from excited to scheming in the span of two seconds. "Well, you _could_ go to bed. But if you do, I can't guarantee you'll be able to sleep with all the noise I'll be making putting things away. Now, where did I put those pots and pans…?"

Allen sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll help."

"Good," Lenalee replied happily.

_xXxXxXxXx_

Two AM came and Lavi luckily only had to kick out one straggler at closing time. The whole bar was spotless, as he had plenty of time to clean when the place was so dead, and it took him less than fifteen minutes to lock up and prepare for tomorrow's opening. Once everything was completed and the lights turned off for the night, Lavi locked up the doors and headed to the back stairs, making sure to grab the disk and number from under the bar. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached the top and opened the door.

Above the bar was a spacious living area that Lavi used as his own apartment. Since he owned the bar, it made things easier to live above it instead of renting or owning something elsewhere. Turning on the lights, he flopped onto the couch and sighed. He was exhausted from doing nothing all night and really should get to bed, but he couldn't keep from listening to the CD any longer.

Grabbing his laptop off of the side table, he popped the CD into the drive and hit play. It took a few seconds for the computer to read the disk, but when it did, the first track started playing. The first song started with a beautiful melody, the piano solo echoing in his apartment. It was quickly accompanied by drums and a guitar. Then came the vocals, and Lavi was surprised to hear a woman's voice. He had expected to hear Allen's voice singing, as he was working on song lyrics in the bar. Lavi suddenly wondered about this singer's relationship with Allen. He could already tell a tinge of jealousy was itching at the surface of his mind and he smothered it as soon as it started. He barely knew the guy; he had no right to start marking territory like a tom cat.

The songs were fabulous, and he was excited to hear their sound wasn't the same song over and over like many of the new local bands he had the pleasure - or rather _displeasure_ - of listening to in the past. This band, Innocence… They had style and they weren't afraid to try new things. As Lavi listened, he wondered what instrument Allen played. He imagined him playing the piano, for some reason. The picture fit into his mind as if he were already certain the brunette was a pianist.

It was nearly three in the morning when Lavi finally closed the computer and headed off to bed. He needed to work tomorrow anyway and sleep would be imperative. As he flopped onto his bed that was always in a constant state of in disarray, Lavi took his phone and set his morning alarm. He stared at the screen for a moment before setting the phone on the nightstand. He had an overwhelming urge to call Allen right then, but it was way too late to make such a call.

Lavi sighed and turned off the light. Cast in darkness, he closed his green eyes and fell asleep.

___xXxXxXxXx_

_"Lavi," he whispered into the redhead's ear as he wrapped his lithe arms around him. Lavi buried his face in the young man's white hair, breathing in the scent he knew so well. He hugged him back, pressing the white-haired youth's body against his. He was shorter than Lavi, but it felt as if their bodies fit together perfectly. The room they were in was dark and the only light source they had was from the full moon as it filtered in through the open window. A cool breeze wafted in and set goosebumps on Lavi's skin._

_"Don't worry," Lavi said, his voice low and soft. He rubbed his hand over the young man's back gently, his hand moving in soothing circles. "Everything will be fine."_

_"How could you know that?" the white-haired man asked. He gripped the back of Lavi's shirt, his hands tightly holding the fabric. "I have a horrible feeling that something will go wrong…"_

_Lavi smiled, pressing his face into the young man's neck. He kissed the skin there gently. "You worry too much. It'll be fine."_

Lavi woke up to the buzzing of his alarm on his phone, the sun glaring in angrily from the windows of his bedroom. He groped for the alarm and shut it off, dropping the phone on his bed and pulling the sheets over his now naked shoulder. The morning air chilled his skin and he didn't want to get up quite yet.

The dream he just woke from hung fresh in his mind. The images were hazy at best, but they left him with mixed feelings. Anxiety and warmth, sorrow and love. It was confusing. Still under the heavy blankets of his bed, he rubbed his bare chest and took a deep breath. It was probably best forgotten. He had things to get done today and couldn't waste time thinking about a dream.

The redhead pushed the blankets back and hopped out of bed with all the grace of an elephant. He trudged to the bathroom and begun getting ready for the day. After a shower, he headed back into his room for fresh clothing. He dressed quickly, throwing on some old, worn out jeans and a black t-shirt. He moved slowly, eyes still not quite open and ready to face the daylight. Snatching his phone off of the bed, he groggily headed out of the bedroom and to the kitchen. His mind slowly woke up as he went through the daily motions of preparing breakfast. As he fried up some eggs and made toast, his brain finally started to clear. His dream from last night faded as the smell of breakfast surrounded him. As the eggs cooked quickly, he peeked over at his phone. It was nearly nine o'clock.

Lavi grabbed the slip of paper from the CD case and punched in the numbers. Pulling the phone to his ear, he waited as it rang.

_xXxXxXxXx_

Allen let out a long breath as his set down the box of books on the table. The Haunted Bookstore had just received a car full of used books from the local library. The collection had been culled and Allen's boss had snatched up as many of the books as she could from the library book sale. However, now there were at least twenty cardboard boxes in the back room with his name on them. He had to sort through each box, assign the book a genre and attach a price to the cover. The task would, in all likelihood, take Allen several days to complete and he wasn't looking forward to exacerbating his dust allergies. With the last box in front of him, he sat down on the folding chair and groaned.

Sighing, Allen closed his eyes, not relishing his task. Just as he was about to get to sorting the first box, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling out the phone and checking the numbers flashing across the screen, he noticed it was a local number that he didn't recognize. Hitting the answer button, he raised the phone to his ear. "Hello, this is Allen," he said politely.

_"Ah, Allen? This is Lavi. From the bar. I listened to your CD last night."_

Allen was surprised to hear back from the bartender so quickly. Usually, he didn't hear back about a gig for a week or two. Sitting up straighter in the chair, he pulled the phone closer to his ear. "Oh, hi! Nice to hear from you. How did you like the music?"

_"Honestly, I was impressed. Do you think your band can play this Saturday night? I know it's short notice…"_

Allen's heart nearly leapt into his throat. A job, already? How in the hell did he manage it? "Um, yeah! I think we're free that night. What time?"

_"Live music starts at 8:00 PM and usually runs for at least an hour and a half, but you should make sure to get here by at least 6:00 to set up. You have all the equipment you need, right?"_

"Yeah, we have what we need. Thank you, Lavi. This is a great opportunity." Allen smiled as he said the words, truly meaning them. He and Lenalee had been waiting for a chance like this for so long. If they were lucky, this job would lead to more in the city, and the band would be even closer to their goal of signing a record deal. This little bit of luck would hopefully serve him and Lenalee well.

_"Excellent. If you have any questions, just call me. I'll see you at 6:00 on Saturday night, then?"_

"We'll be there," Allen replied, still grinning from ear to ear. They quickly said goodbyes and Allen hung up his phone. The brunette was so excited he jumped out of his chair and did a quick little dance around the back room of the bookstore. "Yes, yes, yes!" he shouted to himself. They had a gig!

Once he calmed down, Allen looked back at his phone. He saved Lavi's number in his contact list, then quickly texted Lenalee to let her know they had a gig. Now he was way too psyched to concentrate on his task, but right then he didn't care.

Things were looking up.


	2. Chapter 2

_This time I'll try to love again_  
_I'll never lose you my friend_  
_I'll be there 'til the end_  
_Forever_  
_This time I'll take the happy pill_  
_Chew off more than I can spill_  
_Play until you stay_  
_Forever_

_Darren Hayes - Lucky Town_

_xXxXxXxXx_

Lavi checked his hair — for what seemed like the tenth time — in the reflection of a decorative mirror behind the bar, and Kanda was getting quite sick of the show. "Jesus Christ, Lavi. What is your problem?" He dropped some dirty beer mugs in the dishwasher before wiping his hands clean on a towel.

Lavi ignored the dark haired man and finished primping. "None of your business, Yuu."

"Don't call me that," Kanda shot back, almost on instinct. "And you'd better get your damn head out of the clouds. We're busy tonight and I'm not going to take care of the bar all by myself while you're daydreaming."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry so much," Lavi replied, distracted. He quickly helped Kanda with a few orders that were waiting to be filled, then looked at the clock again. It was nearly six and he expected Allen and his band to show up at any moment. He tried to remind himself that this was a business deal, nothing personal. Even if he felt a strange and undeniable attraction to the musician, he couldn't do anything about it at the moment. Besides, he didn't even know if Allen fancied guys.

His mind was elsewhere and it made his bartending skills suffer. Kanda called him on his lack of focus once more before Lavi got himself straightened out. The Flame was busy for a Saturday night, but it was nothing that they couldn't deal with. Kanda had helped Lavi with the bar for years and they were more than capable of handling a crowd. After a few more drinks were ordered and prepared, Lavi started to ignore his anxiety over the brunette, too busy to dwell on his strange attraction.

In that moment, Lavi looked up as a seat cleared in the room and the object of his thoughts for the past few days walked right in. The redhead smiled unconsciously and tossed his towel on the sink behind the bar. "Yuu, take care of things here for a sec."

"What? Where the hell are you going?"

Lavi's grin never wavered as he left the bar and headed out onto the floor. "The band's here."

"Tch. Well, hurry up."

Lavi waved off Kanda's grumbling and headed towards the entrance where Allen stood, along with a young woman with long dark hair. As he got closer, Allen spotted him and waved. "You made it, I see."

"Of course! This is Lenalee, by the way. She's the other half of my band."

Lenalee smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Just the two of you?" Lavi asked. He didn't see a lot of two person bands come through his bar. There were usually at least three or four people.

"Don't worry. Allen's got it covered on his synthesizer. He's practically a band unto himself," Lenalee replied, elbowing her bandmate in the arm. "I'm lucky he lets me sing at all."

Allen blushed at the praise, and at that moment, Lavi was sure his heart skipped a beat. The redhead cleared his throat before speaking. "Well, I don't much care who's doing what, as long as it sounds as good as it did on the CD. Here, follow me. I'll show you where you can set up."

The stage was small, but there was just enough room for a band to play. Lavi led Lenalee and Allen to the performance area. The stage was basically a raised platform, almost half a foot off the main floor. All the hook ups and basic stereo equipment were ready, leaving just a few amps and other items to be set up.

"Here it is," Lavi said, talking to the two band members. "Did you need any help?" He knew if Kanda had heard him ask, the Japanese man would've slapped him upside the head. They were busy and he was pushing Kanda's patience as it was, leaving him alone to work the bar by himself.

"No, that's all right. I think we got this," Allen replied, setting down his keyboard case. He smiled at Lavi and went to help Lenalee with the amps.

Lavi returned to the bar just in time to assist Kanda with a large order for margaritas, placed by a group of college girls at a table in the back. He helped the dark haired man poorly, nearly overflowing the blender with ice in his distraction. After a few minutes of failure, Kanda shooed Lavi away with a cranky look on his face. "Pay attention, idiot. You're making a mess."

"Ah, sorry. Sorry…" Lavi replied, still not able to focus on the task at hand. He looked back over at the stage, watching the band set up.

Kanda scoffed at the redhead and handed the serving tray full of drinks off to one of the waitresses working the tables. When she took the tray and skillfully weaved through the mess of people to her destination, Kanda turned to Lavi and let his frown deepen. "All right, what the hell is up with you? You've been acting weird all night."

"What? No. No, I haven't," Lavi lied, wishing Kanda couldn't see through him as well as he did. He averted his green eyes from the stage and from Kanda, rushing to clean up some dirty glasses as Kanda glared at him.

Kanda said nothing after that. Grunting, he continued working and ignored Lavi as he took more orders from the growing lines at the bar. Lavi silently thanked whatever god might be looking down at him right then that his coworker left him be. He spent the next hour and a half keeping busy filling drink orders and trying to not look over at Allen.

The lights dimmed down and the jukebox, which normally never quit playing, shut off in the middle of an old, classic rock song. The crowded room kept chatting away, used to the sudden change at this time of night. Anyone who frequented the bar knew that the live bands always started at eight. They didn't care. They just came to get wasted on a Saturday night.

Then, the music started.

It surprised Lavi how full the band sounded, considering there were only two musicians. Lenalee played her guitar and sung while Allen worked on his keyboard. The redhead guessed there was prerecorded music on the synthesizer, but he wasn't positive how that all worked. He wasn't as musically inclined as the two onstage. And damn, were they talented.

The chatter in the bar died down when Lenalee's voice rang out through the speakers. The song rocked. There was no other word for it. The baseline and the rhythm, combined with Lenalee's amazing vocal work left the patrons stunned. Lavi even noticed Kanda paying attention, and the usually terse man almost never cared for the bands Lavi booked.

As beautiful as Lenalee's voice was, Lavi couldn't help but stare at Allen. When the redhead wasn't mixing a drink to fill an order, he was watching the performance from behind the bartop. He couldn't keep from watching now that the band was actually performing. There was a decent view from his corner of the bar, and Lavi took full advantage of it. Part of his mind reminded him that he shouldn't be so smitten with someone he hardly knew, that this quick attraction was just too much and he should back down before he got hurt. However, Lavi snuffed those thoughts out like the flame of a candle.

After the first song ended, the room erupted in applause. A smile tugged at Lavi's lips as he clapped in appreciation. In that moment when the music paused, Allen looked up from his keyboard and his blue eyes met Lavi's green ones. Lavi could feel his heart stop for a split second. When Allen looked away and over to Lenalee before the next song began, Lavi managed to start breathing again. What the hell was it about that guy that sent shivers up his spine?

The next song began and with it more demands for drinks. Lavi went back to work as Lenalee and Allen played for the next hour. The time went by in a haze as Lavi watched the brunette from the safety of his work station. The music reverberated through the entire building, immersing the crowd in the beautiful melodies. The usual atmosphere of the bar transformed from relaxed and loud to quiet and contemplative, as if the music was casting a spell on everyone in attendance. Lavi felt as if he filled each drink in a fog, barely remembering where he started one order and ended another. The only thing that kept his focus was Allen and the beautiful music he made with Lenalee.

When the band finished their last song, the jukebox began to play once more, as did the chatter and rumblings of conversations held back during the performance. The din in the lounge nearly smacked Lavi in the face as he came crashing down from the high the music had given him. Some patrons started to leave when the band finished, the night waning, but most stayed to get even more wasted. Lavi and Kanda were caught up in a rush of fresh orders.

Nearly half an hour passed before the redhead caught sight of Allen again. The musician walked to the bar, Lenalee in tow, and they each sat down at two free stools.

"We packed up all our equipment," Allen said to Lavi, resting his elbow on the countertop. "I hope we put on a good enough show."

Lavi turned to the brunette and grinned. "Absolutely. It was probably the best performance we've had in a while. Which reminds me… I'd better get your payment." He turned around and went to the register, popping the till open and fishing for some bills.

When he turned back to Allen, he handed the musician the cash. "There you go. $200." Allen and Lenalee's eyes widened considerably.

"Really?" Lenalee asked, surprise in her voice. "That much?"

"It's my standard fee for live bands."

Lenalee laughed turned to Allen. "We need to work for him more often," she commented with a wink. She brushed back her long, black hair, tucking the loose strands behind her pierced ears.

Lavi took the chance to segue into what he had wanted to bring up with the two musicians before they left for the night. "Well, I can always use more live music on the weekends. Considering how much the crowd liked you two tonight, It's safe to say you're more than welcome to keep doing shows."

Allen looked excited at the prospect of more work. He smiled as he pocketed the money. "That sounds like a great idea," he replied.

Lavi looked over at the clock on the wall. It was nearly ten o'clock. The redhead wanted nothing more than to keep talking with Allen, but he knew Kanda would throw a fit if he left his post for a moment longer. "I'd say we could talk tonight, but it's really busy. How about tomorrow? We open at 11:00 AM and it should be pretty quiet then."

"We'll be here," Allen replied, hopping off the stool. He and Lenalee weaved their way through the mass of people and exited the doors.

Lavi heaved a sigh. He wanted to talk to the keyboardist more, but the circumstances of the night were not in his favor. After seeing the two musicians leave, the doors closing loudly on their way out, Lavi went back to filling drink orders.

As he was working at a methodical pace, taking orders and filling drinks, Lavi's mind was free to wander once more. He managed a smile. Even though he wasn't able to talk with Allen right then, he would see him tomorrow afternoon. With any luck, he would see more of the brunette just by having the band play at The Flame more often.

xXxXxXxXx

Lenalee parked the van on the street in front of their apartment building. As she tucked her keys into her purse, she looked over at Allen, who still had his seatbelt on and didn't look like he was moving any time soon. "Allen, we're here," she said, opening her door and hopping out of the vehicle.

"Hm?" Allen asked, and looked over to Lenalee. When he noticed she was already out of the van, he shook his head and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Ah, sorry, Lena. I guess I'm distracted."

"Well, it's a good thing I drove then, right?" she offered, then headed around the van to start pulling the equipment out. They would have to lug everything upstairs and she wasn't looking forward to it at all. "You know, now that we're rich, we should hire someone to carry our stuff for us."

Allen laughed as he met her behind the van and grabbed his instrument. "I don't think $200 constitutes rich."

"It does in my book! Let's order out tomorrow. I'm tired of ramen noodles and frozen pizza. A girl can't live like that!" she announced, shouldering her guitar and grabbing one of the other boxes.

"That sounds like a great idea," Allen agreed. "We'll go out for lunch after we meet up with Lavi again to talk about future shows."

As they climbed the stairs to their apartment, Lenalee groaned. "Oh no! I just remembered I have to work tomorrow morning. You'll have to go without me."

"That's all right. I think I can manage," Allen said as he opened the door and let Lenalee inside, following after her.

After they brought in all of the equipment and locked up the van, it was nearly 11:00. The performance had taken a lot out of both Lenalee and Allen, so once they tossed the equipment in the corner of the living room, they both went to bed.

After he closed the door to his room, Allen changed into his pajamas and slipped between the covers of his bed. He leaned over to extinguish the light on his nightstand, and let out a deep sigh. Though he was exhausted from the show, the brunette couldn't calm his thoughts. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering when their next show at The Flame would be, and what songs they should play. More importantly, when would he and Lenalee have time to fit band practice into their already tight schedules?

Then, Allen thought of Lavi. The redheaded man seemed so friendly, and Allen hoped that he was genuine, unlike some of the other people he and Lenalee had had the displeasure of working with in the past. Having their equipment stolen or being stiffed on their paycheck wasn't something Allen was looking forward to again. Even so, he had a good feeling this time. Things would be different – better.

Sleep didn't come easily, but after an hour of tossing and turning with his head full of ideas and problems that needed solving, Allen finally got his much needed rest.

_The ghosting of breath on the back of his neck sent chills down Allen's spine. He shivered, his body pressing back against the person holding him with hands that were gentle, but firm. A blush broke out across his cheeks, his entire body lighting on fire at his partner's touch. Allen buried his face in the sheets of the bed, though the room was dark and no one could see him. He didn't know who he was trying to hide from, but he couldn't stop from doing it regardless._

_The foreign hands on his body grew curious, sliding under clothing and rubbing sensitive skin hidden beneath. Allen was quiet up until that point, only letting his heavy breaths disturb the air. But when the young man behind him nibbled on his neck, Allen could keep quiet no longer. "Ahh, La—"_

"_Shh," the voice behind him chided gently and Allen could feel the lips on his skin form a smile as he continued to kiss over his neck. "Don't be so loud. Everyone will hear."_

_Allen's head filled with mist, mixing anxiety and lust together. He bit his lip as a hand ran down the front of his pants, and he held back a moan. His silver eyes closed shut as he tried to even out his breathing. "S-should we really be doing this?" he whispered as his heart nearly hammered itself through his chest._

_The lips on his neck paused at the question. "Allen, do you want me to stop?" he asked softly, keeping his voice down._

_Allen blushed harder, his white hair falling in his face as he tried to hide once again. His partner never failed to put an embarrassed blush on his face. "No, I just…" he trailed off, not sure he knew what he wanted to say. "What about tomorrow?"_

_The hands didn't pull away from Allen's body, even as an answer was given. "What about it?"_

"_Well, the mission…" Allen started, but the other man silenced him with light nip on his ear._

"_I know you're worried about it. But there's nothing we can do right now." He kissed Allen's shoulder and smiled. "Besides, if you're so concerned about it, shouldn't we enjoy ourselves while we can?"_

_Twisting around in the tangle of sheets and blankets, Allen turned and faced the young man behind him. Allen took hold of his face and pulled him into a soft, gentle kiss. When they separated, Allen looked into the lone, green eye of his partner. "Don't talk like that. I'm worried enough as it is."_

_Allen watched as a smirk grew on the redhead's face. "Well, if that's the case, let me help you relax."_

Allen woke up with a groan, the moon still high in the night sky. He opened his blue eyes and stared out across the room. His mind was still half in the dream as he turned over in his bed and reached out his arm, expecting someone to be there. When he felt nothing but cold, empty blankets, he sat up. Rubbing his eyes and pushing back his hair, he sighed. The dream had been so real…

When he looked over at the clock and noticed the red numbers showing 4:00 AM, he sighed again. It was an offensively early time to be awake. He slid back under the covers and tried to get some more sleep.

xXxXxXxXx

Afternoons at the bar were always quiet and Lavi enjoyed working them. He was the only one working the shift until noon, which usually left him with nothing to do but relax and catch up on his daytime television. As much as he hated to admit it, he was addicted to soap operas.

The Flame opened at 11:00 every morning, in time for the lunch. There was a small grill in the back kitchen, but they only served two things: burgers and fries. Food was only served until 2:00, as most of the evening business he received was from drunk college kids who didn't have anything better to spend their parents money on besides beer and margaritas.

The bar was dead and Lavi was thankfully happy, despite the lost revenue. He usually had at least a few customers by now, so the silence was unusual. Allen had agreed to meet with him this morning to discuss the possibility of more jobs for his band and their meeting time was fast approaching. The redhead felt like a teenager again, waiting to bump into his secret crush at school. He had to remind himself to be professional, even if all he wanted to do was shoot cheesy pickup lines at the brunette until one of them worked.

As Lavi tried to pull his thoughts together, the front door to The Flame opened, and the object of the redhead's affections walked inside. Allen looked around the bar for a moment before spotting Lavi behind the counter. As he walked up to Lavi, he smiled, then took a seat at the bar.

"Sorry if I'm a little late," Allen said, setting his messenger bag on the stool next to him.

Lavi grinned back at the brunette as he tried to calm his racing heart. "No problem. As you can see, I'm not exactly busy," he replied, gesturing to the empty barroom.

"Yeah," Allen replied, looking around at the empty establishment. "I guess Sunday mornings would be fairly quiet."

"Everyone's nursing their Saturday night hangovers," Lavi added, resting an elbow on the bar. "So, can I get you anything while we talk? I've got some burgers and fries in the kitchen if you're hungry."

The mere mention of food sent Allen's stomach into a chorus of growls. "Actually, that would be great. I haven't eaten anything yet this morning. I woke up too late."

Lavi meandered back into the kitchen and started a burger on the grill, as well as some fries. When he came back to the bartop, he grabbed a tall glass and filled it with ice. "What would you like to drink?"

"Just a coke, please."

As Lavi filled the glass at the soda fountain, he looked back at Allen. "So, couldn't sleep last night, then?" he asked, as he set the full glass in front of the brunette.

"Yeah, actually," Allen replied, taking a sip from the sugary beverage. His mind flitted briefly back to the strange dream he'd had, thinking it might have had something to do with it. "I slept through my alarm this morning. Oh, and I'm sorry Lenalee couldn't make it. She had work."

"That's all right. You're here at least," Lavi replied with a grin. "Well, that caffeine should perk you up."

When Allen looked back up at Lavi, he noticed how green the redhead's eyes were. In the fraction of a second that the brunette noticed those emerald orbs, he felt the hazy recollections from his dream. A wash of strange feelings rolled over him in that instant, and he averted his gaze back to his drink. "Ah, yes. Thank you," he mumbled, taking another sip of his soda.

Lavi didn't notice the brunette's unease and bent down to search through the shelves under the bar. "Here, let me find my scheduling book." He rustled through some unseen items as Allen peeked over the edge of the bar.

"Ah ha!" Lavi called out, then stood back up, binder in hand. He set the worn plastic folder out on the countertop and opened it up. There were pages upon pages of calendar dates and other notes that Lavi had collected over the years he had been running the bar. He flipped to the current month with a satisfied smile. "Here we go," he started, running his finger over the page. "Looks like I have some days open after next week. If you and your bandmate want more work, that is."

"Of course we do," Allen replied, excited at the thought. "We need all the jobs we can find if we're going to get our band's name out there."

"Well, you are welcome to play here anytime," Lavi added, still unable to keep the grin off his face. As he was about to go into more details for the dates, the grill timer went off in the kitchen. "Oops, better get that." He hurried back and finished fixing up Allen's meal.

When Lavi disappeared, Allen sighed. The dream from last night slithered back into his mind, invading his thoughts. The images grew clearer as he focused, leaving him with a light pink blush dusting his cheeks. He hadn't thought much on it at the time, it being so early in the morning, but now that he had a chance to sit and think, the person in his dream reminded him of Lavi. However, Allen pushed the thought away as quickly as it came. It was silly. He was just dreaming, right? When Lavi returned with a basket of fries and a burger, Allen hid his growing blush by taking another long sip from his coke and letting his brown bangs hide his face until he could gain his composure.

Hunger overcame him and the brunette started in on the meal. As he ate, Lavi discussed the schedule for the next few months with Allen. They set dates for gigs and ironed out times and prices for each set. It took them almost an hour to make all the arrangements, but once they finished, they had everything ready for the next two months. Allen could barely contain his excitement over the multiple performances he and Lenalee were now scheduled to do.

Lavi cleared Allen's empty burger basket away and brought it to the kitchen for cleaning. Just as Lavi disappeared for a second, the main door banged open, breaking the silence in the room. Allen set his drink down and looked behind him to see a tall Japanese man with long black hair walking towards the bar. The man gave him a stern glare as he walked past Allen and stashed his motorcycle helmet behind the bar. Before Allen could say anything, he heard a boisterous shout from the redhead as he left the kitchen.

"Yuu! What are you doing here so early? I didn't think you were scheduled to work until tonight."

Kanda pushed his ponytail back over his shoulder as he regarded his employer and friend with a cranky demeanor. "Don't call me that," he grumbled, pushing past the redhead to find his apron. "Kira called me and asked if I'd take her shift, so I'm working a double."

"Hmm, that's the third time in two weeks" Lavi pondered out loud, but shook his head, not wanting to bother with the problem right then.

Kanda face was still set in a glare as he regarded Allen with his arms crossed over his chest. "What's with the beansprout?" he asked Lavi.

Allen's face twisted into a mix between shock and annoyance. "Beansprout?!" he croaked out, indignant.

Lavi chuckled before replying. "This is Allen. He's in the band that played last night."

Kanda raised an eyebrow, mild recognition registering on his face. "Hnn," he mumbled, then walked stiffly into the kitchen.

As Kanda disappeared, Lavi walked over to Allen, who still seemed a little miffed. "Sorry. Kanda is kind of… brusque. He's like that with everyone. Just ignore him."

"I heard that," the aforementioned man growled from the confines of the kitchen.

Allen sighed with exasperation, suddenly ready to leave. "I'd better get going. I have to go to work soon." He got up from the stool and grabbed his bag.

Lavi only laughed and ignored the long-haired man's grumbling. As Allen grabbed his things, Lavi watched him. "I guess I'll see you again soon, right? For the next gig?"

Allen's mood turned around quickly at the mention of the next performance. He grinned at Lavi as he turned to leave. "Count on it."

As Allen left, Lavi grinned and leaned against the bar to watch him go. He sighed and grabbed the brunette's empty glass, setting it in the glass cleaner behind the counter. As he began to wipe down the smooth surface in front of him, Kanda reemerged from the kitchen, the foul look still on his face. He watched Lavi quietly for a moment as the redhead hummed while he cleaned up. Lavi was completely in another place.

Kanda rolled his eyes and let out a soft "Tch" as he went about getting ready for the small lunch crowd. This was all he needed — his idiot boss with a crush on some idiot beansprout.

God dammit.


	3. Chapter 3

_This is not what we planned  
And I know its hard to understand  
But if this isn't what you want, then…  
If this isn't what you need, pry my fingers from your hand_

_And maybe it's just meant to be_  
_Maybe you'll find a way to haunt me_  
_Come back and sing a melody to me_

_Darren Hayes - Sing To Me_

xXxXxXxXx

The weeks passed by and Innocence played multiple sessions at The Flame, as well as a few other bars and clubs around town. Allen and Lenalee hardly had a weekend where they weren't performing, though that was partly due to Lavi's influence. He had them working one night a week at his bar if they couldn't find work elsewhere. The redhead was more than willing to schedule in as many gigs as he could for the band. Allen and Lenalee worked on new songs to spice up their playlist, and it left the two musicians little time to do much else besides work, sleep, and compose music.

In his bedroom, Allen sat at his synthesizer practicing the newest song he and Lenalee were working on. He had his headphones plugged into the keyboard so as not to disturb his neighbors or Lenalee, who was sleeping at the moment. He could just see her form on the futon in the living room, wrapped up in a dark green blanket. She'd had a long day at the record store and was exhausted. They had intended to practice that night, but Allen had insisted that she get some extra rest. As it was, they would be performing again in a few days and Allen didn't like the idea of his friend fainting on stage from exhaustion.

Allen pressed the ivory white keys of the synthesizer and listened as the smooth bass line ran into his ears through the headphones. Quietly, he worked on the bass section of the song, checking how each note worked with the already mixed music.

Allen continued to work for nearly an hour before he switched the synthesizer to piano mode. Though he could play most any instrument, the piano truly held Allen's heart. The brunette had played piano since he was a young boy, and had never regretted it for a moment. If it only were practical, Allen would never play another instrument. The piano was more than enough for him. Taking a break from the song he had been working on, Allen made up a new melody, composing on the fly.

He continued to compose, not worrying about technique or even if the melody made sense. He simply played, getting lost in the music. Allen's mind wandered, the song forming into something familiar, something that he swore he knew but couldn't quite place. He closed his eyes, letting the music wash over him with a peaceful feeling. These were the moments when being a musician meant the most to Allen. He could feel his soul becoming one with the music, as if the notes and his body were harmonizing.

As his mind wandered, with his fingers moving along the keys as if they were sentient, Allen caught glimpses of images— bright white at first, but becoming clearer as he played. He could see people with him, wandering around a place he did not recognize. He had never been there before, but at the same time, it was intimately familiar. The faces were barely recognizable, but even in the hazy images Allen knew they were friends. The images came to him in quick flashes, but Allen could still make out a piece of each one. Red hair. A broken katana. Bandaged legs. Fire. Crumbling walls. Scenes moved too fast to piece together and muddled in one blob of confusion.

One by one, the friends disappeared, taken away from him as they continued walking. Each disappearance, each death chipped at his heart. Two left behind… Two fell into the abyss… Two more almost disappearing… Allen swallowed as the whiteness encompassed him again. He opened his eyes and was no longer in his bedroom. The room was bright white, a piano in front of him as he played the melody haunting his ears. He could see himself in the glass, but it wasn't him. It couldn't be him. His reflection had white hair, silver eyes, and a red scar across his left eye that ended in the shape of a pentacle on his forehead. The music continued to play, trapping Allen in this vision. His fingers moved of their own volition, even as Allen tried to keep from paying the eerie tune.

Silver eyes locked on the reflection in the mirror, and the music emanating from the piano grew deafening. Allen couldn't pry his strange colored eyes from the sight. Then, as the music was just about to crescendo, Allen saw a shadow behind him. The music abruptly stopped, echoing silence in his ears. Allen's fingers hovered over the piano keys, his mouth agape as he stared at the cloaked figure behind him.

_Allen Walker_, it called, its voice rough and gritty.

Allen snapped out of the trance, jumping away from his keyboard and knocking the instrument over, along with his stool. The cord to his headphones snapped taut as he stumbled and they were yanked from his head as the brunette panted and looked around. He was back in his room, as if he had never left. His heart hammered in his chest, thumping away like he had just run a marathon. Sweat broke out on his forehead as his body trembled.

_What the hell was that?_

"Allen?" Lenalee's groggy voice called out from the living room. "Are you all right? What happened?"

Lenalee's call shook Allen out of whatever hallucination he had been stuck in. He blinked and shook his head, brushing back his brown hair. "Ah, I just knocked over the keyboard. It's fine," Allen lied, not wanting Lenalee to worry about him.

"Is it ok? It didn't break, did it?" she asked, getting up from the couch, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. She rubbed her eyes as she entered Allen's room in time to see him pick up the mess he had made.

"No, it seems to be fine," Allen said, not looking up from his task. He touched a few keys to make sure the sound was working like it should. Luckily, the floor was carpeted, so the jolt to the expensive instrument was minimal.

As Lenalee watched her friend, she could tell something was off. "Are you sure you're ok, Allen? You look like you're coming down with something…" His nervous behavior and sweaty face struck her as odd.

"Ah, yes. I'm fine, Lenalee. Don't worry."

Lenalee sighed as she bent down to pick up Allen's headphones by her feet. "Well, now I know you're not all right. You only say that when there _is_ something to worry about."

Allen smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He finished picking up the mess and avoided meeting Lenalee's gaze. "I'm almost done mixing the last song together," Allen offered, changing the subject. "It should be completed before the weekend."

Lenalee frowned, knowing exactly what Allen was doing. She let it go, hoping that whatever had her friend spooked would either work itself out or he would come to her with the problem. For the moment, she knew the brunette would remain tight lipped. "That's good, but there's no reason to rush. We have time. You need a break as well, you know."

"I know, but I'd still like to have it done." Allen looked at his clock. It was nearly nine and he was now completely wound up. There was no way he could relax if he stayed cooped up in the apartment now. He walked into the kitchen, Lenalee watching him with concerned eyes. Allen grabbed his jacket off the hook near the door and shoved his keys and wallet into the pockets. "I'm going out for a bit. Don't wait up," he said, leaving quickly.

Lenalee took a deep breath, the frown on her face increasing, as Allen disappeared from the apartment.

xXxXxXxXx

The streets were empty, even for a Thursday night, and Allen wouldn't have had it any other way. He needed to clear his head and forget about what happened in his room. The creeping unease still hadn't left his bones, chilling him to the core. Every time he recalled the strange figure in the mirror, it set his entire body into shivers. Allen continued walking, pulling his coat tight against the cold bite in the late summer air.

The brunette stuffed his hands in his pockets and let the wind ruffle his hair. The cool breeze gave him something else to think about as he wandered the streets. Only thirty minutes had passed by the time Allen noticed his feet were taking him on a familiar path. He quietly chuckled to himself as he now actively headed in the right direction.

Within minutes, Allen could see the lights on in the windows of The Flame and he already felt his mood improve. The band played in the bar so frequently that Allen was starting to become a regular customer. After a gig, he usually stayed after to chat with Lavi and have a few drinks. It was nearly customary by now. When Allen entered the bar, there were only a few people scattered around the establishment, maybe five in total. The chorus of Rock of Ages by Def Leppard resounded through the room and made Allen grin a bit. Without thinking about why he was even there, Allen walked up to the bar, sliding into one of the many empty stools.

However, instead of seeing Lavi as he normally would, Kanda's grumpy face greeted him. The tall man glared. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice terse.

Allen sighed, not really wanting to deal with Kanda's gruff personality. He had learned over the past few weeks to not take him seriously, but it still rubbed Allen the wrong way to be treated like an inconvenience every time he saw him. "I was looking for Lavi. Is he here?"

"Tch, of course." Kanda walked away to the back room without explanation.

Allen's eyebrows raised in confusion until he saw the redhead appear from the room, Kanda in tow. Kanda walked to the other end of the bar to take care of customer while Lavi's attention was on the brunette. An uncontrollable smile graced Allen's face as Lavi walked up to him.

Lavi grinned back easily, leaning against the bar in front of Allen. "Kanda said you're looking for me?"

As the redhead watched Allen from the other side of the counter, it was only then that the brunette realized he didn't really have a reason to be there in the first place. He felt awkward, but in all honesty, he just wanted to see Lavi. Of course, he couldn't _admit_ that…

"I've been working most of the day and needed a break," Allen fibbed, doing his best to sound cheerful. "I thought you might be able to help me out."

Lavi laughed. "For you? Absolutely." He made up a drink in a flash for Allen, his hands moving deftly between different bottles of alcohol. When he finished, there were two small glasses sitting in front of him, filled to the brim with some green concoction.

"Two? I don't think I need two drinks, at least not at once," Allen retorted with a chuckle.

"Of course not! This one's for me," the redhead added in, drinking down the large shot with ease. When Allen tilted his head just slightly, Lavi clarified. "No one should be drinking alone. That's rule number one for having fun."

"Oh? And how many rules are there?" Allen asked as he drank down his own glass. The shot ran down his throat smoothly, unlike what he expected. All he could taste was sour apple.

Lavi immediately started mixing two more of the mysteriously delicious shots before Allen could even finish the first. "Two hundred forty six, last I counted," Lavi joked, setting down the last liquor bottle under the bartop once he finished using it.

Allen laughed and pushed the first shot glass away as a second was left in front of him. "Well, it seems I have a lot to learn then, don't I?"

"Don't worry," Lavi started, drinking down the second shot without missing a beat. "I've been told I'm a great teacher."

Allen looked up at the redhead as he spoke, and even though the words were innocent enough, the brunette's cheeks flushed. He gulped down his second drink and tried to hide the blush.

Lavi cleared the empty glasses and made a third set. As he poured, he watched Allen finish his shot. "So, what were you working on today that you needed a break from?"

Thankful for the change in subject, Allen set his empty glass down. "I was working on a new song. Lenalee was supposed to help, but she was too exhausted from work. I told her to take a nap instead."

"You two work too hard," Lavi replied, replacing Allen's empty drink with a full one. "You both need a break. If you keep working so much you'll go crazy."

"Go crazy?" Allen asked, holding his newly freshened drink lightly in his fingers. The memory of the strange visions he had in his room invaded his thoughts once more. He shook his head. "No, we wouldn't want that."

Something in the tone of Allen's voice caused Lavi to pause. He legitimately sounded upset, or at least worried. He looked over the bar, checking to make sure the room wasn't too busy. As Allen worked on his second shot, the redhead turned to Kanda.

The black haired man was just finishing up a load of dishes when Lavi walked up to him. "Yuu, can you handle the bar by yourself for a while?" Lavi asked, just out of earshot of the brunette.

"What? Why?" he asked, not even bothering to scold his boss on using his given name.

"I have something I need to do," Lavi responded vaguely.

"Yeah, I bet you do," Kanda muttered back, putting away the cleaned glasses as he gave the redhead a sidelong glance.

"Please, Yuu?" Lavi pleaded quietly, sneaking a quick look to see if Allen was paying attention to their little conversation. Luckily, the brunette was occupied with his drink. "I'll even close everything tonight. Just give me an hour or two."

"Fine," Kanda grumbled, waving Lavi off. "Go."

"Thanks, Yuu. You're a prince," Lavi exclaimed softly before turning away and rummaging under the bartop for something unseen.

"Ugh," Kanda grumbled, already regretting his decision to help his boss out.

When Lavi returned to Allen he had a ratty pack of old playing cards in one hand and a bottle of very old scotch in the other. "All right!" he said, grinning at Allen. "If this doesn't get you to relax and have fun, I don't know what will."

With three shots already in him, Allen was feeling surprisingly good. The delicious taste hid how much alcohol was actually in them. Allen spied the deck of cards in Lavi's hand and smiled. "You want to play cards?" he asked, mischief in his voice.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, unless you want to lose."

Lavi raised his eyebrows. "Is that a challenge I hear?" he questioned, playfully.

"Could be."

With a grin plastered on his face, Lavi tucked the playing cards in his pocket and grabbed two small shot glasses. He tilted his head towards one of the empty corners of the bar. "Ok, then. Let's see how good you really are."

They moved to a small table in the back corner of the bar. It was big enough for four people and seated them comfortably. Lavi dropped the deck on the table and got the shots ready. As he poured the brown liquor, Allen picked up the cards and started shuffling. It was immediately evident that the brunette knew what he was doing. The dented, old pack of cards flew like they were crisp and clean again in Allen's skilled hands. Lavi mused that it was like watching a professional poker player. He wondered what he got himself into.

"What are we playing?" Allen inquired, shuffling the cards to form a bridge between his hands.

"Dealer's choice," Lavi answered, pushing one of the shot glasses towards Allen and taking the other for himself.

"Hmm, poker then," Allen suggested, not waiting for a confirmation before he dealt the cards. "Five card stud."

Lavi smirked. "Good choice. Are you ready to lose?" he asked as he grabbed his cards.

Allen matched the smirk with one of his own. "I don't lose at cards."

xXxXxXxXx

"Royal Flush."

"Shiiiiiiiit," Lavi cursed, dropping his hand of cards on the table haphazardly. They had been playing cards for hours and Allen had won every single game. Lavi didn't know how it was possible. He wasn't bad at cards, either. Allen was just… amazing.

The redhead groaned in defeat, dropping his head to the table. Allen laughed, though it was good-natured. "I warned you, Lavi."

Lavi chuckled and sat up again, though less than straight. They'd polished off most of the bottle together and they were quite drunk. "That you did, Allen. Maybe next time I'll listen to you." He took another shot, slamming it back easier than the first few had gone down. "Where the hell did you learn to play like that?"

"College. I didn't have much money so I used to play for extra cash at the local bars. Paid for most of my tuition."

"Damn. I see now that I had no chance. I hereby throw in the towel."

Allen giggled at Lavi's dramatics, then finished off the shot in front of him. His head was buzzing from the liquor and all he felt was tingly and warm. "I accept your surrender," Allen added in as he grabbed the bottle. He poured them each another shot. "Let us drink to peace!"

"Hear, hear!" Lavi exclaimed, clinking their glasses together before downing yet another shot of brown liquor. When they finished the shots together, Lavi stared across the small table at Allen. The brunette's face was tinted red from all the alcohol in his system and his hair was a mess. Lavi couldn't help but fix his gaze on the sight. For nearly a month, he had held his tongue, in more ways than one, in front of Allen. He had been attracted to the musician the moment he'd first seen him, but had still not made a move. His patience was worn thin and the redhead knew he couldn't keep his feelings bottled up much longer. Allen had been hanging out at the bar more often, especially after a gig, and sooner or later he knew he would slip up, say something that could be construed as something other than friendly banter.

And right then, Lavi really wanted to tell Allen how beautiful he was.

In his alcohol muddled brain, Lavi was just about to voice his opinion, but as soon as his lips parted to speak, he was jolted back to reality as Kanda grabbed the bottle of scotch off the table.

"Aw, Yuu! We're drinking that!"

"No, you _drank_ that," he corrected, taking the shot glasses as well. "The bottle is practically empty. Do you know how expensive this is?!"

"Of course I do! I bought it!" Lavi shot back, attempting to grab the bottle. However, Kanda was too quick, and too sober. He yanked the bottle out of Lavi's reach and the redhead nearly toppled out of his chair trying to snatch it.

"Nope. You're cut off. Both of you." Kanda turned and took the remaining alcohol back to the bar.

"No fair, Yuu! You can't take that bottle! It's mine!"

"Tell it to someone who cares," Kanda called back, continuing to walk away.

"I can fire you, you know!" Lavi shouted, turning around in his chair to see if his threat would be taken seriously.

"Then do it."

Lavi sighed and turned around, plopping himself back down with a defeated look on his face. "Guess we're done for the night."

Allen chuckled at the redhead's antics, shaking his head. "That's fine. I should probably be getting back home anyway." He checked his cell phone and blanched at the time. "Whoa. It's already past one?"

"Really?" Lavi asked, stretching over the table to peek at Allen's phone. "Damn." He looked around the bar and noticed they were they only ones left, aside from Kanda.

As Lavi was focused on Allen's phone, Allen was all too aware of how close his friend had leaned in. The heavy smell of liquor floated between them. A blush unrelated to the alcohol in his system crept over his face. "Ah," he started, stumbling over his words. The redhead was still _so_ close… "I should probably get home. Lenalee will be worried."

Lavi turned to look at Allen, still hovering dangerously close to the brunette. Even with his inhibitions low, he could feel the intensity between them. Allen's breath was a bare whisper across the redhead's cheek. He could see Allen's fingers tensing on the phone in his hands as he averted his eyes away from Lavi's face.

Gathering his courage, Lavi leaned in closer, intent on kissing him and in doing so, confessing his feelings. However, before he could budge an inch, Kanda appeared again, two large glasses of ice water in his hands. The long haired man slammed the drinks on the table and glared at them both.

"Here. You two better drink this or you'll regret it tomorrow."

The spell broke, and Lavi pulled away from Allen, his heart racing in his chest from what he almost let happen. He grabbed the glass of water offered to him and took a long drink as Kanda watched, making sure they both did as he commanded. Allen took his glass as well, draining it down in one go.

When they both finished their drinks, Kanda finally let them be, grabbing the dirty glasses as he went. Lavi turned his attention back to Allen. "Well, we'd better get you on your way then. If Lenalee is mad at you for staying out too late, just tell her it's my fault." He stood up and stretched his stiff body, pulling his arms over his head for a moment.

Allen stood as well, though he lacked the stability Lavi had. He held onto the edge of the table to keep standing, though he wobbled back and forth on his feet. "Don't worry. She shouldn't be too upset. She's probably asleep anyway." He tried to take a step, but lost his footing and nearly topped head over heels. Before he could fall, Lavi caught him.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there. Are you sure you'll even be able to make it home?" Lavi asked, holding Allen's shoulders with strong hands.

Allen laughed suddenly, righting himself with the redhead's help. "It might take a while, but I think I can make it."

As Allen attempted to walk again, he made it further than his first attempt, but swayed again and back into Lavi's arms. Lavi caught him, letting out a small "Oof" as he did so, not ready for Allen's weight until the last second. The two drunks laughed again, barely moving more than two feet from the table.

"You'll still be walking by morning at this rate," Lavi commented, looking down at the top of Allen's head. He had caught the brunette as he fell backwards, his hands under Allen's arms. Lavi hauled him up to his feet again and wrapped an arm around his midsection, keeping them both up for the moment. "You can crash here if you want. My apartment is upstairs and I have a fairly comfortable couch."

The thought of sleeping in Lavi's apartment sent a shiver of trepidation down Allen's spine. He didn't want to think on it for too long, knowing his mind would go down roads he wasn't ready to venture. Instead, he waved off the redhead. "No, I really should get home. I'll just call a cab or something."

"I'd drive you, but that will only end in tragedy at this point," Lavi added in with a laugh. "I'm pretty sure I couldn't even find my keys, let alone drive." They walked towards the bar to find an exasperated Kanda, finishing up the last load of glasses in the dishwasher.

"Are you two quite finished making jackasses out of yourselves?" Kanda asked, not even looking at the two young men in question. He worked on putting the cleaned glasses away as Allen and Lavi hobbled to the bar.

"Don't be so mean, Yuu. You're just cranky I didn't invite you to drink."

"Tch. Like I would waste time drinking with you two idiots."

"That's not very nice, Kanda."

"Shut up, beansprout. No one asked you."

Lavi gasped exaggeratedly, his hand to his heart. "How rude! I can't believe I hired such a ill-tempered person!"

Kanda only sighed with exasperation at the last comment and continued with the dishes.

"Oh! Idea!" Lavi shouted suddenly, turning to Allen. "Kanda can take you home on his bike. That way you don't have to waste money on cab fare."

This announcement made Kanda tense. "What? Idiot, you can't go volunteering me like that. Let him find his own way home. He's not my problem."

"Yeah, Lavi. It's ok. I can make it home myself. I don't need a ride," Allen insisted, not looking forward to doubling up on Kanda's motorcycle.

Lavi ignored the arguments and continued with his idea. "Please, Yuu? If you go and drop him off right now, I'll let you leave for the night." He grinned widely at his employee, hoping a little bribery would help get Allen home safely.

"Hn," Kanda grumbled, still not looking at the two drunks at the bar. "Fine. But if he throws up on me, I'm not responsible for what happens to him. Got it?"

"Thanks, Yuu," Lavi said, hopping off the barstool easily. He grinned at Allen. "I got you a ride."

Allen smiled back. "Thanks." He looked back at Lavi a little longer than necessary, as if he was thinking of saying something else. Before he could speak up, an ornery Kanda interrupted them.

With his helmet tucked under the crook of his arm, Kanda grumbled "Hurry the hell up or I'll leave without you." He walked to the door without looking behind him.

Allen sighed. "I should get going. I'll see you Saturday at the gig."

"Count on it," Lavi replied, watching as Allen slowly made his way to the door after Kanda, tilting back and forth as he attempted to catch his balance. Once the two were gone, leaving Lavi alone, the redhead took a deep breath that turned into a groan.

He had tried to avoid this, but it was all coming to a head. Lavi knew he couldn't keep himself quiet much longer. Something had to be done before he burst inside from holding in all his emotions. In his drunken escapades of the night, he knew that he'd almost said and done things he wouldn't have been able to take back, things that would change everything between him and the brunette.

Lavi was falling in love with Allen Walker and he couldn't hide it anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

_You will like my sense of humor  
You will be addicted to my smile  
Laughing all the while_

_And I will end each conversation  
I will leave the room with upper hand  
And you will understand_

You will find my scent attractive  
You will like my real, engaging eyes  
And playful, child-like smile  
You will find my style appealing  
I will overpower you with wit  
And I will be a hit

Darren Hayes - Sense of Humor

xXxXxXx

"_Aah…" the white haired boy moaned as Lavi continued to push in and out of him, thrusting with quick and fluid movements. Their bodies tangled in passion, sweat dripping over naked flesh. The darkness of the room kept the redhead from seeing too well, but he could feel everything. Each tremble through his lover's body, every heavy breath with his name on his lips, every tense muscle drove Lavi to keep going even as he could feel exhaustion creeping up on him._

_Lavi's lover wrapped his hands up around the redhead's neck pulling him down for a deep kiss, pressing his tongue hungrily into his Lavi's mouth. Lavi groaned into the kiss, his hips thrusting harder as his fingers gripped the white haired boy's hips possessively._

_The bed creaked under their constant motion and in the back of his mind, Lavi knew everyone could hear it. However, in that moment, he didn't give a shit about keeping their relationship secret. They loved each other — that was all that mattered. Lavi pulled back from their sloppy kiss and looked down to see silver eyes staring back up at him and a flushed, beautifully scarred face. It was all he needed to go over the edge, pressing one last time into his lover before he spent himself entirely._

_After climaxing, Lavi collapsed against the boy underneath him, both of them panting in exhaustion. When the redhead regained the use of his limbs, he pulled his lover closer, nuzzling his neck. The white haired boy drew his arms around Lavi, pulling him flush against his body._

_With a tired, breathless voice, he whispered, "I love you, Lavi."_

_Lavi grinned, kissing his lover's neck. "I love you, too, Allen."_

Sunlight filtered in through the windows and tore Lavi from the grip of the fabulous dream he just had been having. He cursed the sun then, wanting nothing but to go back to sleep and continue what he had been doing. Lavi creaked open his green eyes as the realization hit him square in the gut. He'd just had an erotic dream featuring the musician permanently lodged in his mind. With a groan, he curled up on his side and pulled the blankets over his head. This was all he needed. He would see Allen tonight at The Flame. Innocence was playing, and there would be no getting around seeing the brunette.

After the two of them drank an entire bottle of very expensive scotch together, which had forced the redhead to admit his feelings had grown far beyond a simple crush, Lavi had promised himself that he would finally confess to Allen the next time he saw him, no matter what. Of course, his drunken self had forgotten he would be seeing him in only two days, which wasn't much time to prepare a heartfelt confession. Lavi hadn't put much thought into what he was going to say, figuring that winging it would probably be best. He feared that thinking too much about the impending conversation would make him sick. As it was, his stomach was already tied in knots.

Still under the covers and pretending that he didn't have to get up, Lavi mused over his dream for a bit longer. It was the first dream he'd had with Allen in it that had been so… sensual. Though, when he thought about it, the person in his dreams only looked vaguely like the Allen Walker he knew. In his dream, Allen had been much younger, with white hair and silver eyes. Still, Lavi was certain the person in his dream had been the brunette. He shook off the details. It wasn't like dreams meant anything.

xXxXxXx

Allen woke with a gasp, his heart racing in his chest. As he stared up at the ceiling of his room, he could feel his entire body tingling. It felt so real. It was as if the one-eyed redhead of his dream had actually been touching him. Allen pulled himself up and rubbed his eyes, trying to free himself of the images that were still haunting his thoughts. The lingering effects of the vivid sex dream seemed to resonate to his very core, shaking loose a well of desire he had not felt in ages. The sweat that clung to his body made him nearly second guess if it _had_ been real, considering he never sweat like this normally. He tossed that idea away as quickly as it came. It was just a dream.

Getting out of bed, Allen decided not to dwell on the highly erotic dream, no matter how delicious it had been. Still, even as he went about his morning tasks to get ready for the day, it continued to plague him. It wasn't that the dream was unwelcome — far from it — however, Allen had too much to do today and could not allow himself to be distracted. He and Lenalee had a performance and he needed to focus. Distractions were detrimental to his music.

Even more distracting was that the person in his dream had looked just like Lavi. Allen tried to keep that fact pushed to the back of his mind, but it continued to wiggle its way to the front. He would see the redhead tonight and wasn't sure what he was going to do when they inevitably talked. Last time they were together and in a drunken stupor, Allen had felt something. He tried to brush it off, but there was no point in denying it. The brunette had felt a shift in their relationship, and if Allen wasn't imagining things, he was certain that Lavi had tried to kiss him at one point in the night. Worse yet, Allen knew he wouldn't have stopped him if he had.

After finishing up in the bathroom, he headed to the kitchen and found Lenalee cooking up some eggs. He gave her a half-hearted smile as he made a beeline for the fridge.

"Morning, Allen. Are you excited for tonight?"

"Excited?" Allen asked nervously, freezing in place with the open milk carton nearly to his lips. Did Lenalee know…?

"Yeah! Another gig tonight. We're really making waves." She flipped her eggs and grabbed the plate on the counter, a piece of buttered toast already on it. "At this rate, we're never going to have a weekend off."

"Oh, yeah," Allen replied with a sigh. "Of course I'm excited."

Lenalee shook her head at him. "You don't sound very excited. Did you get enough sleep? We're going to have a late night so you might want to take a nap."

Allen closed the fridge and reached above for a box of sugary cereal perched on top of the appliance. "Mm, yeah. I should do that," he said, playing along to throw his friend off the scent. He didn't want her to know what was actually on his mind, namely one overly friendly bartender with gorgeous red hair. Sitting down at the tiny kitchen table, he filled a bowl with cereal, then took a long chug of milk straight from the carton before splashing some on his breakfast.

"Aw, Allen. Can't you use a glass? I use that milk too, you know."

"I could, but that makes unnecessary dishes," the brunette replied with a grin.

Lenalee scraped her eggs out of the pan and onto her plate, then joined Allen at the table. "If you're going to use that as an excuse, you might as well just pour the cereal and milk directly into your mouth and forgo a bowl and spoon as well."

"That is a great idea, Lena! I'll try that tomorrow morning."

Lenalee sighed.

xXxXxXx

Kanda was irritated.

Scratch that — Kanda was fucking pissed.

The Flame was jumping for a Saturday night, almost at legal capacity. He only vaguely considered if they were breaking some sort of fire code regulations for maximum occupancy, but didn't care enough to tell his boss. The idiot was distracted again, as he _always_ was when that damn beansprout's band was playing. Here they were, completely backed up at the bar even with three other waitress' help for tables, and what was Lavi doing? Remaking another two drinks because he wasn't focused enough to do it right the first time. As Kanda filled the last order, he spared two seconds to remind the redhead what he was there for.

"Are you going to actually work or just stand there like a newbie who doesn't know the difference between scotch and whiskey?"

Lavi, unfortunately, was not in the mood to be bothered. "Kanda, mind your own damn business and get back to work." He finished the drink he was working on and took another order as he handed it off.

Kanda glared at his boss. He knew the idiot was off if he was referring to him by his last name. "If you're not going to help, you might as well leave. You're in my way." He turned away and took more orders, filling them in quick succession.

Lavi rolled his eyes as he topped off his last creation with a cherry and set it in front of the customer. He knew Kanda, was right and the fact that he was being called on it rubbed him the wrong way. Instead of arguing, Lavi just filled the last drink on his list and ducked out from behind the bar.

Kanda caught him leaving and shouted, "Where the hell are you going? Are you actually taking my advice?"

"I'll be right back," Lavi shot back, not wanting to elaborate. "Two minutes, tops!"

Kanda only grumbled in response and worked even faster to thin the crowd around the bar.

Lavi pushed his way through the throng of people towards the stage. Lenalee and Allen were almost finished setting up their gear and Lavi hadn't had a chance to sneak away from the bar once to see them. Of course, Lavi had more reason than a simple greeting in mind, and he didn't want to wait until after the set in case the two musicians split afterwards because of the growing crowd. He couldn't let Allen leave without speaking to him first.

When he finally made it to the stage, he put on his trademark grin to mask his unease. "Hey, I see you're almost ready to play," he commented to Allen as the brunette finished setting up his keyboard.

Allen smiled, though it looked as strained as Lavi's. "Uh, yeah. We should be able to start soon. Maybe that'll calm your crowd, hm?"

"I hope so. Your music usually does the trick."

Allen nodded. "Just give me five more minutes and we'll be ready." He went back to testing the keyboard.

Lavi swallowed, so close to turning around and retreating to the relative safety of his bar. He wanted to run before he made irreparable damage to his and Allen's friendship, but he came too far to back down now. "Hey, could you hang out after? I know it's busy tonight, but I wanted to talk to you."

The seriousness in Lavi's voice caught his attention. Allen returned his gaze. "Yeah... I can do that. Is everything ok?"

"Oh, yeah," Lavi said, hoping the affirmation wasn't a lie. He smiled, not sure if Allen could see through him or not. "I just had to talk with you about something and there's no time at the moment. Meet me at the bar after?"

"Sure."

Without another word, Lavi left and weaved his way back through the crowd, disappearing from Allen's sight in an instant. The unclear words set Allen on edge. He wasn't sure what Lavi wanted or what to expect. He tried to shake it off, rechecking his keyboard. Forcing it out of his mind was the only thing he could do at the moment. He had a show to put on.

When Lavi returned to the bar, he went back to mixing drinks as if nothing happened. His heart was still hammering away in his chest when Kanda gave him a quick glance. The redhead thought Kanda was going to let his absence go, until he spoke up.

"That was two minutes and thirty seven seconds."

"Ugh! Seriously, Kanda. I'm going to fire you."

"Then do it."

Lavi huffed again, the bartender calling his bluff. Of course he would never fire Kanda — he was the only reliable worker Lavi had. He said nothing after that and continued to push through making drink after drink with his stomach tied in knots. After a few minutes, the rush died down and the lights dimmed just as Lavi finished filling his last order. When he looked up, Innocence started to play, beginning with a new song that the redhead hadn't heard before. He sighed, watching Allen and Lenalee rock onstage. Allen's eyes were on his keyboard, and Lavi stared at him.

The band continued to play for an hour, entrancing the crowd with its music. Only a few customers asked for drinks during the performance, giving Lavi and his waitstaff a much needed reprieve. In between staring at Allen, Lavi helped Kanda clean up the dirty glasses in preparation for the next round that would inevitably surge forth after the music ended.

It was just after nine when Allen and Lenalee finished and applause thundered throughout the entire establishment. As soon as the music ended, Lavi could feel the lump in his throat growing bigger by the second. When a guy asked for a pint of beer, he could only nod and fill the order before fixating back on the brunette's figure.

The next half hour went by in a painstakingly slow blur. Allen and Lenalee cleaned up their equipment, putting it away in their van, while Lavi pretended to be a functioning human and continued to serve the bar patrons with trembling hands. Much to Lavi's relief, the crowd died down after the show and hit manageable levels once more. Kanda's cranky demeanor lessened substantially, which helped as well.

Before he knew what happened, Lavi turned around after putting a few glasses away and found Allen sitting at the bar. He did his best to hide his surprise and smiled. "Want a drink?" he asked, leaning against the counter. "I mean, everyone else around here does."

Allen managed a quick chuckle. "No, that's ok. I think I drank enough last Thursday. But maybe next time."

"Hah, fair enough," Lavi shot back. "I wasn't moving too fast after that night either."

"I had fun, though," Allen assured him. The redhead had kept his mind off his troubles that day, and Allen had been grateful, even if it resulted in quite a headache the day after. "So, you said you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," Lavi replied, looking around. "Let's go upstairs where it's quieter."

Allen's eyes widened for just a fraction of second. "Sure."

Lavi left the bar, shouting to Kanda as he did so. "You're in charge, Yuu. Be back in a few minutes."

"What?! Are you kidding me?! Where the hell are you off to again?!"

Allen followed Lavi, who didn't answer Kanda as they disappeared in the crowd. The last thing either of them heard was Kanda cursing them both out before he was drowned in the din of the crowd surrounding them.

Lavi skillfully led Allen to the back of the room, where a door marked "Staff Only" was tucked away in an unused corner of the bar. Lavi opened it revealing a dimly lit flight of stairs. "Follow me."

Just as Allen and Lavi disappeared beyond the "Staff Only" door, Lenalee made her way to the bar, looking for her bandmate. Allen had told her he would be at the bar, but he was nowhere to be seen. She sat down at a free stool and rested her elbows against the counter. The only person there was Kanda, so when he had a free moment, she inquired as to the brunette's whereabouts.

"Kanda, do you know where Allen is?"

"He went upstairs with Lavi," Kanda replied stiffly, not really in the mood to talk with anyone. He was cranky enough as it was between the waves of customers and Lavi's multiple disappearing acts. Even if things had died down, he was still on edge.

"Oh. Guess I'll just wait for him here then. You don't mind do you?" she asked, resting her chin in her upturned palm.

Kanda thought the question was odd, considering it was a bar and she could damn well sit wherever she wanted. Even so, she was so polite about it, he couldn't muster up a rude response. "Sure. Did you want a drink or something?"

"Just a water, please. I'm supposed to drive home tonight." She smiled at him as she replied.

Kanda filled the glass as requested, setting it in front of Lenalee. Strangely, his mood perked up at her presence. The tall man didn't think much of it, except that he wasn't as pissed as he had been. He had seen her play guitar and sing with the beansprout many times, but never had a chance to actually talk with her. It seemed her personality was cuter than she looked.

At that thought, Kanda turned away and busied himself with cleaning, ignoring the young woman's presence as best he could.

xXxXxXx

As they reached the top of the stairs, Lavi unlocked the door and let Allen into the apartment. It was dark, but as Lavi flipped the light switch, Allen stood in awe.

There were books everywhere. Shelves lined the walls to the point where there was no space left where a book couldn't be stashed. The books were even overflowing onto tables and chairs, as if this place were a library run by the most disorganized librarian ever.

"Wow," Allen said, quite surprised as he stepped inside. "I take it you like to read."

"You could say that," Lavi replied, a smirk on his face. "The collection came with the apartment, actually. But yes, I do love to read."

"Well then, whoever lived here before you definitely loved to read," Allen said as he gazed at the multiple volumes, some extremely old, that lined the walls.

"That would be my grandfather," Lavi added in, finally closing the door behind him and turning on a few more lamps. He watched as Allen walked around the living room, mesmerized by stack after stack of literature. "He left me this place, the apartment and the bar, after he passed away a few years ago."

"I'm sorry," Allen said, brought back from his enthusiastic book gazing.

"It's ok. Like I said, it's been a while," Lavi said offhandedly. "Anyway, I didn't realize you were that into books. I would've brought you up here sooner."

"Well, yes. I do work at a used bookstore, after all," Allen commented, gliding up to one of the shelves and peering at the titles. "But they don't have half the old works you do. My boss would kill to get hold of some of these rare titles."

Lavi quietly walked up behind Allen as the brunette scanned the shelves, nearly oblivious to the redhead's presence. Even when Lavi spoke up, Allen was still distracted with the texts. "Well, I hope it doesn't come to that," he joked, his voice subdued. Lavi watched Allen with a hint of a smile on his face.

It took Allen another moment to realize he had completely forgotten about Lavi in his excitement at the book collection. "Ah, sorry. I got distracted. You wanted to talk to me about something?" He turned around, looking up at Lavi.

The sudden attention back on him made Lavi stiffen for a moment. "Ah, yeah," he started awkwardly. Lavi had almost backed Allen against the bookshelf without realizing it, so when the brunette had turned around, they were closer than Lavi anticipated. He wanted to back up, give them both some room to breathe and think, but he seemed frozen in place as he stared back at Allen.

The shift in mood was not lost on Allen. Lavi seemed uncharacteristically serious as he looked down at him. The brunette's breath caught in his throat as he waited for Lavi to speak up, worried about what could be so important that it needed to be discussed in private. But when the silence continued, Allen finally spoke up. "What is it?" he asked.

_Right to the point_, Lavi thought, suddenly wishing he were elsewhere. He started to rethink his plan of winging it, as his mind was coming up blank for what to say to Allen. How could he express the feelings overpowering his heart right then? Words were not enough.

The silence was beginning to grow again, and Lavi knew he had to do something. His chest constricted painfully in anxiety as he looked at the brunette, staring into his blue eyes. If he couldn't say it, perhaps he could show it instead? Swallowing down his apprehension, Lavi closed his eyes for a moment to steel his nerves.

"Allen?"

"Yes?"

Lavi paused again before continuing. "I have to do something, and I really hope you won't hate me for it."

Allen blinked, not completely comprehending the redhead's words. Still, he knew one thing for certain. "I don't think I could ever hate you, Lavi."

Lavi smiled at the sentiment and hoped to god it was true. With nothing else to say, he reached out, taking Allen by the shoulders with gentle hands. A questioning look crossed Allen's face just before Lavi leaned down and kissed him.

Allen stiffened at first, taken off guard by the physical contact. However, as Lavi's lips carefully molded to his, Allen relaxed, kissing the redhead back with a tentative touch. As if on instinct, Allen's hands reached up and grabbed hold of Lavi's sides, pulling him closer as they kissed.

xXxXxXx

Nearly fifteen minutes had passed and Allen still hadn't returned to the bar. Lenalee was growing bored, especially with only her water to keep her company. She wouldn't have minded staying at the bar for a while, but she didn't like being alone. It was much too boring. The dark haired woman would've much rather been tucked away in bed right then, instead of listening to the drunks around her with their inane babble.

Lenalee watched as Kanda filled her empty water glass without her even asking for it. She thanked him before he hurried off again to do something else and sighed.

Stuck in her own world of boredom, Lenalee had barely noticed the group of men a few seats away from her. They had been whispering and laughing, all while setting their gazes on her. Even though Lenalee remained oblivious, due to her frustration with Allen's disappearance, Kanda had not. He watched the group of young men with disdain as he kept order behind the bar.

Finally, after five more minutes, one of the guys left his seat and sat right next to the guitarist. Lenalee hadn't even paid him mind, still too focused on her water and wondering where Allen was to care. It wasn't until he spoke up that her attention was grabbed.

"Hey, sweetheart. What are you doing sitting here all alone?" the guy asked, leaning in closer than should be comfortable.

Taken by surprise, Lenalee tensed up and glanced over to her side. The guy looked like most any other college frat boy, dressed in name brand jeans and a t-shirt. Lenalee usually made a point to avoid such people, and now that he was invading her space, she felt extremely uncomfortable. "I'm waiting for my friend."

"Why don't you wait with me and my friends? We'll show you a good time."

Lenalee resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the obvious come on. "No, thank you."

"Come on, don't be a prude," he continued, obviously not taking no for an answer.

"No," Lenalee repeated herself, starting to get annoyed with the idiot. He was even leaning in closer, making her personal space nonexistent. "Please leave me alone."

"We just want to have some fun," he said, touching her hand as he did so.

Lenalee shivered in disgust. She hated men like this, the ones who thought that she only existed for their amusement and forced themselves on her. It was revolting. Just as she was about to get up and leave, Allen be damned, an unexpected voice interrupted the frat boy's advances.

"The lady said she wanted to be left alone," Kanda said, his voice low and severe. His face was even more serious than usual, eyebrows knit together. He stood behind the bar right in front of them, full attention on the scene. "I suggest you do as she wishes."

"Hey, back off ponytail," the guy shot back, not moving away from Lenalee. "This isn't any of your business."

"You're making it my business. Leave her alone or you'll regret it."

"Oh yeah?" the guy replied, getting up out of his seat and thankfully letting go of Lenalee in the process. "I doubt that." His two friends, who had been watching the exchange the whole time, got up out of their stools and backed up their friend.

Kanda's eyes narrowed, but a suspiciously smug smirk graced his features. "You should have brought more friends."

"You're pretty cocky for a guy who's going to get his ass kicked in."

"And you're pretty ugly for a guy who thinks he can pick up beautiful ladies at a bar."

With that comment, the first punch was thrown. The main frat boy shot out his fist and clocked Kanda right in the left cheek. It was all Kanda needed to jump into the fray. As the fist hit his face, Kanda grabbed the guy's wrist and yanked him over the bar, throwing him to the ground. Kanda pummeled the asshole while his friends scrambled to his aid, trying to get behind the bar.

Lenalee jumped back, staying out of the fight entirely. Her eyes were wide as Kanda continued his assault on the first guy, then once his friends joined in, the rest of the lot met the same fate. After the first blow, Kanda managed to dodge or block any hits the college frat boys tried to land. Though she didn't condone violence, part of her was grateful to Kanda for standing up for her.

A chant of "Fight! Fight!" started up in the rest of the bar as other patrons began to watch the three on one action. No one attempted to break them up, but the cheering got louder as the fight continued.

xXxXxXx

Lavi pushed Allen gently against the bookcase, lips still on the brunette's. They kissed softly for minutes, Lavi not daring to pull back in case he saw something in Allen's eyes that told him this was a mistake. However, considering Allen had been pulling him closer as they kissed, Lavi didn't think that would be a problem. The redhead ran his hands down Allen's arms, holding him lightly. With the taste of Allen in his mouth, Lavi felt his head buzzing. He was just about to run his hand down Allen's backside when a loud thump shook the floor and walls of the apartment.

Lavi pulled back, eyes wide and confused. "What was that?" he asked, still holding Allen, face flushed.

Allen swallowed and was about to reply when a sudden cheer made its way up through the floorboards. They could hear the word "Fight!" being chanted over and over again. The distraction had a sobering effect and made Allen frown. "I don't think that's a good sign."

Finally letting go of Allen reluctantly, Lavi turned and headed towards the door. "Shit."

Allen followed, his face still red from their mini make out session. He said nothing as they headed down the stairs, the chanting and loud, clomping noises increasing in volume. A bad feeling sunk into his guts. He had left Lenalee downstairs…

As Lavi opened the door to the bar, his eyes widened in shock. He was able to catch the strange sight of someone being thrown over the bar and onto the main floor. The fellow landed with a groan on two other young men, all three looking thoroughly whipped. The redhead saw Kanda, no worse for wear, standing with his hands akimbo behind the bar.

Lavi ran up to his coworker, pushing the crowd of drunks out of his way. "Yuu, what the hell happened?"

Kanda's face was still set in a angry frown. "They started it," was all he replied.

Lavi looked around at the damage. Not only were there three groaning and broken men on his floor, but he saw glass littering the floor and at least five broken bottles of expensive liquor. The redhead sighed deeply and pulled the cell phone out of his pocket. "You better get your story straight before the cops get here," he warned Kanda as he dialed the number.

Kanda shrugged and went straight to cleaning up the broken glass, sweeping it with an old, dirty broom. It hadn't been his first bar fight and it wouldn't be his last. Besides, he hadn't thrown the first punch. The crowd broke up once they realized the cops were on their way and the show was over.

Allen darted over to Lenalee, who stood near the bar with a awestruck look in her eyes. "Lenalee! Are you all right?" he asked, taking her by the shoulder.

"Oh, Allen," she said, still slightly in a daze from what she'd been through. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"What happened?" he asked, checking her over for any signs of injury. Luckily, she seemed to be unharmed. Allen felt completely guilty for leaving her on her own, especially when a fight broke out.

"Um, well…" she started, trying to rethink the series of events. "I was waiting for you, and that guy — one of the ones on the ground — wouldn't leave me alone. So, Kanda told him off. The guy hit Kanda and… Well, that happened." She gestured to the pile of men on the ground, still rolling in pain from the beating they received.

Allen's eyebrows raised high on his forehead. "You mean to tell me that Kanda did all this?"

"…Yeah."

Allen looked over at the long haired man and suddenly didn't want to get on his bad side anymore. He turned back to Lenalee and gave her a comforting smile. "Well, as long as you're ok."

"I am. Don't worry."

Allen hugged his friend quickly, relieved she was unharmed. "Do you want to go home?"

"Mm, yes. We should probably go."

Nodding, Allen turned back towards the bar, his eyes landing on Lavi. The redhead had just hung up his phone, then started talking to Kanda, looking quite frustrated with his coworker. Allen took a deep breath, and walked over to him.

"Lavi," he started, getting the redhead's attention right away. "I have to take Lenalee home."

Looking from Allen to Lenalee, Lavi nodded in response. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I have to close the bar now anyway to clean up." His voice sounded quite disappointed, but Allen couldn't tell if it was from the disaster his bar just endured, or cutting their activities upstairs short.

"I, uh," Allen started, having to force himself to speak in complete sentences. "I'll talk to you later, then?"

"Yeah," Lavi replied, his voice melancholy. "Later."


	5. Chapter 5

_The moonlight plays upon your skin  
A kiss that lingers takes me in  
I fall asleep inside of you  
There are no words  
There's only truth  
Breathe in, breathe out  
There is no sound  
We move together up and down  
We levitate, our bodies soar  
Our feet don't even touch the floor_

_But nobody knows you like I do_  
_'Cause the world, they don't understand_  
_But I grow stronger in your hands_

_Darren Hayes - Insatiable_

xXxXxXx

"Allen?" Lenalee asked from her cozy spot on the futon, book in her hand. She was wrapped up in a fuzzy, green blanket and relaxing on her night off.

"Huh?" Allen asked, looking up from his notes. He was trying to work out some kinks in a new song, but all he managed to do so far was stare at the scribbles on his paper.

"Is something on your mind? You've been pretty distracted lately."

As always, Lenalee was dead on at guessing Allen's mood. He _had_ been distracted, by a rather handsome redhead. However, indecision crippled him into hiding out at home most nights since Saturday's incident. "Oh, you know… Just trying to get this song to work. Can't rest until I get it perfect." Even to his own ears, the excuse sounded hollow and forced.

"You've been working on it for days without getting anywhere. Why don't you take a break? You could go to The Flame."

Allen was sure he turned white at the suggestion, but hoped Lenalee wouldn't notice. That was the last place he wanted to go at the moment. He needed to figure out his feelings and what he wanted to do about them before seeing Lavi again, even though it was driving him bonkers just sitting around and doing nothing about the issue. "Maybe later. I really should work on this."

Lenalee sighed, pulling her book back up. "Well, whatever you want to do, I guess. But remember, we've got another show there this weekend. So, don't exhaust yourself too much."

"Ah, right… I promise not to." How could he forget about the Friday night show? Allen groaned inwardly. That meant he had to see Lavi tomorrow… There would be no way around it. He couldn't cancel the show — not only did they need the cash, but then Lenalee would know something was off. Besides, he couldn't leave Lavi in a pinch to find another band at the last minute. What kind of friend does that?

Friend… Could they even be considered friends anymore? Allen wasn't sure, but he hoped so. The silence between him and the redhead continued throughout the week, neither attempting to contact the other. Every time Allen had picked up his phone, intent on texting or calling Lavi, he couldn't go through with it. There was nothing he could think of to say that didn't sound like he was avoiding a discussion of how their last meeting ended.

Lavi had kissed him, and Allen had liked it. He could still remember the feel of their lips together, Lavi pressing him into the bookshelf as they stood in his apartment. What could he say after that happened? How was he even supposed to act? They hadn't had time to discuss it, thanks to Kanda's fight, and the lack of resolution was driving Allen crazy.

_This is stupid,_ Allen decided. He'd had enough of hiding from Lavi. He was bored out of his mind and missed his friend badly. Stacking up his notes and putting them away in a binder, he grabbed his phone and headed to his room. Lenalee only gave him a quick glance before returning to her book.

Allen closed the door and sat down on his bed, dropping his notes haphazardly on the floor and working his phone as he did so. He found Lavi's number and opened up a fresh text message screen. He stared at it for minutes, his mind going over what he wanted to say. Finally, after much deliberation, he started typing. His heart nearly stopped as he hit the send button.

09:30 PM: Can we talk after the show tomorrow night?

Waiting for a reply was torture. Each second felt like an hour as Allen sat on his bed, hoping he would get an answer. After a long moment, his phone buzzed.

09:34 PM: Yeah. We should talk.

Allen let loose a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The short answer was both a relief and a curse.

He knew now that he would at least get to talk to Lavi, but he had no idea what to even say when the time came. Of course, avoiding the problem wouldn't solve it. Allen would just have to wait and see what happened tomorrow night. And it would be an excruciatingly long wait.

xXxXxXx

Lavi had been in a funk all week thanks to his impulsiveness. He had tried to busy himself with work to forget that Allen hadn't talked to him since Saturday, or even attempted to contact him at all. However, the more he tried to forget the issue, the more it pushed itself to the forefront of his mind, and every time Lavi had grabbed his phone to call the brunette, his fingers had frozen above the keys, unable to complete the call. It was heart wrenching, mind numbing. To top it off, the lack of communication was driving him mad.

In this distracted and self-pitying state, Lavi didn't notice Kanda glaring at him until the taller man spoke up. "If you're going to keep this up, you might as well call it a night." Surprisingly, there wasn't as much anger in Kanda's voice as usual, though it did contain a fair amount of exasperation.

"What?" Lavi asked, attention grabbed. It was only then that he noticed he'd been cutting lemons and limes for nearly an hour. The wedge containers were overflowing. He sighed. "Ok. Yeah. I see your point." Lavi was surprised that he hadn't cut himself in his distracted state.

"Go upstairs and get some sleep," Kanda said, taking his attention off of Lavi and back to cleaning the counters. "It's dead here. I can take care of things."

Lavi managed to laugh. "You're awfully charitable tonight," he remarked, untying the apron from his waist.

"I'm just tired of seeing your mopey face around here. Leave me in peace," Kanda shot back.

Lavi sighed as he left the bar. "As you wish, Yuu," he replied in a sing-song voice, leaving his coworker to his own devices.

As he headed upstairs and into the solitude of his apartment, the walls he had built around himself throughout the week fell down. Lavi's feet hit each stair like lead weights, moving at a slow and rhythmic pace. The usual grin he had plastered on his face fell, leaving only a melancholy frown. As he reached his apartment and pushed the door open, he didn't even bother to turn the lights on. The only illumination was from the street lamps outside, shining in through the windows. Shuffling through the darkened rooms, the redhead managed to find his bed and plopped himself down, not even bothering to take off his clothes. The most he could make himself do was kick off his shoes before burrowing under the covers.

The night was still early, but Lavi had no desire to do anything but sleep. Even though he wasn't tired, nothing else held his interest. He lay there under the sheets, feeling numb. After nearly half an hour, a buzzing in his pocket distracted him from his empty thoughts.

Lavi took his time fishing out his phone, eyes still closed as he grumbled under the blankets. When he finally pulled the device free, he cracked an eye open to see the alert. It took him nearly a minute to realize that what was on the screen wasn't a figment of his imagination.

The screen clearly read: Text Message – Allen Walker.

Tossing the blankets back and sitting up in his bed, Lavi stared at the phone for a long moment, still not believing the brunette had contacted him. Slowly, with sweaty hands, he unlocked the screen and pulled up the message.

09:30 PM: Can we talk after the show tomorrow night?

It was a simple question, but it left Lavi feeling like the answer was more complicated than it should be. Of course he wanted to talk to Allen. Over the past week he had missed him terribly during their radio silence. However, Lavi didn't know if he could handle the outcome of their inevitable talk. A knot in his stomach warned him against getting his hopes up, because there was a decent chance he'd get his heart stomped on. Still, he couldn't avoid Allen forever. Delaying the outcome would only make things worse in the end. A few minutes passed while Lavi debated what to write, until he finally settled on a simple reply.

09:34: Yeah. We should talk.

As Lavi pressed send, he felt determination set in. Whatever happened, it would all be over tomorrow night. There was no turning back now.

xXxXxXx

When Allen arrived at the club Saturday night, Lavi was nowhere to be seen. He went about setting up the instruments with Lenalee, looking around every so often to see if he could catch sight of the redhead. When that proved a futile effort, he gave up and instead focused on the performance for the night. His head was so scrambled up with different thoughts and feelings, he didn't know if he would be able to concentrate at all.

Once he set up his keyboard, Lenalee touched his shoulder gently with a concerned look on her face. "Allen, is everything all right?" she asked, her guitar slung around her shoulder. Her friend looked worried and she could tell something was upsetting him.

He jumped a bit at the question, distracted by his thoughts, but recovered quickly. "Yeah, I'm all right."

Lenalee pursed her lips, but didn't press the subject any further. There was no point in questioning him now. They had a show to put on.

They finished setting up, and before Allen realized it, they were playing their first song. His fingers glided over the keyboard on auto-pilot, his mind still elsewhere. Even with his head in the clouds, Allen played flawlessly, accompanying Lenalee's voice and guitar. As the first song ended and the second started up, Allen glanced up for a second. Even though the lights shone brightly in Allen's eyes, he finally was able to spot Lavi. The redhead leaned against the back wall, near the door marked Staff Only. Their eyes met for the briefest second, sending Allen's heart into a furious beating that rivaled any drummer's abilities. Allen swallowed down his nervousness and continued to play, but try as he might, he couldn't get Lavi out of his head. What was he going to do when they finished their song list?

Lavi watched Allen, his eyebrows knitting together in concern as he listened to Innocence play. He didn't know what he was going to say to the brunette. They hadn't seen each other in a week, but even that long absence left Lavi no closer to a solution.

Knowing it would likely take longer than a few minutes to talk to Allen, he arranged for someone else to take his shift at the bar, leaving him free to do what he wanted. It wasn't as crowded as it was most Friday nights, and he was sure his employees could take care of everything themselves. If not, Kanda would whoop them all into shape in no time. At least Lavi knew he could count on him to take care of things.

The music blurred into one long, faded mess to Lavi, only taking the background to his thoughts of Allen. Lavi watched him intensely, not knowing if this would be his last chance to see him after tonight. He had himself halfway convinced that Allen would just simply reject his feelings, maybe allowing him the courtesy of remaining friends.

But with Allen… Somehow, the thought of just being friends with him stung worse than any other rejection he faced in the past. Even so, he prepared himself for it and just wanted to get the whole ordeal over with before he lost any more sleep on the issue.

The music left Lavi in a daze, lost in thought until loud, thunderous applause shook him back to reality. The show was over, and he watched as Allen and Lenalee began to pack up their equipment. He stayed glued to the back wall waiting for Allen to find him. It _had _been Allen's idea to talk after the gig, after all.

Allen had felt Lavi's emerald eyes on him throughout the entire performance. When he and Lenalee finished the last song, a wave of nervousness washed over him. He helped Lenalee pack their instruments in the van while his body slowly filled with trepidation, and when they tucked the last few items away, the brunette turned to his friend.

"I have something to do… Can you wait for me at the bar?"

"Sure, no problem," Lenalee replied as they walked back inside. She watched as Allen walked over to the back corner of the room, meeting Lavi there. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, she watched as the two conversed quietly for a few seconds, then headed upstairs as they had the weekend before.

Unsure of what Allen had to talk with Lavi about, Lenalee just shrugged it off and went to the bar to wait. As she sat down, the first thing she noticed was Kanda cleaning some glasses. She smiled at him, pulling her purse into her lap. The bar had cleared out substantially since the live show had ended, which calmed Lenalee some. She didn't want a repeat of last weekend. Frat boys relentlessly hitting on her wasn't how she wanted to spend her Friday night, even if the prospect of seeing Kanda beat the shit out of more idiots was an entertaining thought.

"Can I get you something?" Kanda asked in his usual stiff tone. He set the now clean glasses back in their rightful spots as he waited for Lenalee's answer.

Lenalee hummed as she thought over the question. "Strawberry daiquiri?" she asked, not sure if they made it or not. She was hot and sweaty from performing on stage and an iced drink was just the cure.

"Coming right up," Kanda said, then set to mixing the drink for her.

xXxXxXx

Allen followed Lavi upstairs, his throat tight and dry. They had barely spoken to each other before Lavi had suggested they head up to his apartment where it was quieter. Without thinking it over, the brunette had nodded in agreement and trailed behind Lavi.

They entered the apartment, and he saw that nothing had changed in the week they had spent apart. Allen walked into the living room, Lavi closing the door behind them. The lights were half on, leaving some of the apartment in only a dim haze. Allen tried to swallow down his nervousness, but the lump in his throat would not go away.

The silence bothering him, Lavi walked to the kitchen. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, his voice sounding friendlier than he felt at the moment.

"Ah, sure," Allen replied, following the redhead into the other room. He watched as Lavi deftly mixed two quick rum and cokes together. A small smile managed to sneak onto Allen's face. "I see being a bartender has its advantages."

Lavi's lips twitched into grin as he handed Allen a drink. "On occasion," he replied, pulling his glass up and drinking down the contents in one go. When he set the tumbler back down, he started making a second drink.

Allen nervously sipped at his glass, the fizz of the soda tickling his nose. His eyes widened in surprise as Lavi gulped down his drink so quickly. "Thirsty?" he asked, the air in the room still tense.

"You could say that," Lavi replied, starting in on his new drink. He only drank half before taking a break. He watched Allen with a guarded look. He paused before speaking, finally mustering up the courage to get their conversation rolling. "So… You said you wanted to talk."

Allen averted his blue eyes for a moment, trying to think of the right words to use. "Um, yeah. I did." He looked down at his drink, then set it aside on the kitchen counter. He could feel Lavi's gaze fixated on him where he stood and decided to come right out and ask what had been on his mind for the entire week. He met Lavi's green eyes with a thoughtful look. "Why did you kiss me?"

The bluntness of the question took Lavi off guard, but it didn't take him long regain his composure. He chuckled softly, setting his own drink down. "I would think that's kind of obvious."

"Enlighten me," Allen added, still serious.

Leaning against the counter, Lavi sighed, though a grin slipped onto his face. Even this close to disaster, he couldn't help admiring how naive the brunette was. It was adorable. "I like you, Allen. That's why I kissed you." There – it was out. Any confusion or misunderstandings would die with his confession. Saying it out loud felt like a weight being lifted off of his shoulders. Lavi grabbed his glass and took another swig, letting Allen sit on the information.

It took a long moment for Lavi's words to sink in. "Like me? You mean '_like_ like' me?" Allen blurted without thinking.

Lavi burst out laughing and nearly choked on his drink. He saw Allen's entire face flush red. "What are we? Five?" he asked, trying to rein in his fit of giggles. "Yes, Allen. I like you – more than a friend. A lot more than a friend." He turned away at the last revelation, almost feeling like he overshared. Still, it was the truth. What harm could come of it now?

Allen stood there blinking, his cheeks burning. Lavi liked him? Part of him felt surprised, but the rest… it was almost as if he knew Lavi liked him, as if there were never any doubt. As if… the moment they'd met, it hadn't been the first time, but more like a reunion with a long lost friend. Even Allen had to admit that they had gotten along very well right from the start. It normally took a long time to get the brunette to open up to others, but Allen already felt as if he could trust Lavi with anything – with _everything_.

When Allen didn't speak for minutes on end, Lavi started to feel his heart deflate, expecting rejection. With one last attempt to smooth things over, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and nervously spoke to fill the silence in the air. "I'm sorry if I made things weird between us," Lavi finally said, staring off into an unoccupied corner of the kitchen. He couldn't meet Allen's gaze any longer. "I still want to be friends… If you want to, that is. You don't have to worry – I won't try to kiss you again."

Allen's eyebrows furrowed at Lavi's words and he looked up at the redhead. He could feel his own chest tighten at the defeated tone in his voice. "Y-You won't?" he asked, confused at the feelings swirling in him. He watched Lavi, but the redhead wouldn't meet his eyes.

"No, Allen. I won't do anything you don't want me to."

Allen swallowed the lump in his throat and took a step towards Lavi. As he closed the gap between them, a voice in the back of his mind pushed him on, telling him just what to say. "So, you'll do whatever I want?" Allen asked, his voice still holding an innocent quality about it even as the blush still flushed his face and neck. He could hear the pumping of blood in his ears and feel the tremor of nervousness shaking his body.

Lavi still didn't look at Allen, too afraid of what he might see. "Anything," he responded, shoving his hands further into his pockets.

The voice was back, the one that told Allen to trust Lavi implicitly. Allen reached out and touched Lavi's bare wrist, just above the edge of his pants pocket. "Lavi," he called softly, wrapping his fingers around the redhead's wrist. "What if… What if I want you to kiss me?"

That got the redhead's attention. His green eyes shot to Allen, meeting in an intense gaze. He thought that Allen might be joking, but considering how flushed he was, Lavi was certain he meant it. Pulling his hands free, he turned to face Allen, looking over the brunette's face. All the feelings of defeat and rejection washed away with a warm wave of hope. As much as he wanted to kiss Allen right then, he still needed to clear things up. "If it wasn't a problem, then why didn't you talk to me all week?"

"I… I don't know," Allen admitted. "I wanted to. I guess I was just nervous."

Lavi chuckled, feeling silly for how worried and depressed he had been all week long. He probably owed Kanda an apology over it as well, since it had certainly affected his work. Raising his hand, he brushed Allen's bangs away from his forehead. "And here I thought you hated me for kissing you."

Allen held Lavi's gaze, feeling guilty for the pain he unknowingly put the redhead through. "I told you before. I could never hate you, Lavi."

Lavi couldn't hold back anymore. Leaning down, he quickly captured Allen's lips with his own, kissing the brunette deeply, like a man in the desert who finally found his oasis. His hands went up to the sides of Allen's face, holding his cheeks gently as he kissed him.

Allen felt as if his breath was stolen, his arms wrapping around Lavi as the redhead pushed him back against the kitchen counter. His heart sped up, fingers gripping Lavi's shirt as he pulled him closer. Opening his mouth, he let Lavi's tongue slide in, pressing against his own. The kiss engulfed Allen in a sea of emotions, leaving him barely able to hold onto a thought. As their bodies pressed against each other, even through clothing, Allen knew they fit together perfectly. He wanted to be closer, to feel Lavi's skin against his, as if he had waited an eternity for this exact moment. It was insane, the rational part of his mind knew, to feel such a need for the other man when they had only just kissed. It wasn't like Allen at all, jumping into things so quickly. Still, there was no denying it as he slid his hands under Lavi's shirt, fingers running over smooth, taut flesh.

He wanted Lavi. He wanted him badly.

xXxXxXx

Lenalee sighed, drinking down her second daiquiri of the night. It had been almost thirty minutes since she last had seen Allen disappear with Lavi upstairs. She wanted to go home. As the night progressed, her energy waned. With another sigh, she looked over to Kanda. He seemed determined to scrub a particular part of the bar over and over again. She only half wondered if there was actually a stubborn stain or if Kanda was just being a clean freak. The rum from her daiquiri only slightly numbed the edge of her senses. She usually wouldn't drink too much at a bar while alone, but considering how Kanda had helped her out the previous weekend, she didn't mind as much. Luckily, she needed no help scaring off assholes at the moment. The bar was quiet and everyone left her blissfully alone.

Once her glass was empty, Kanda took it for cleaning. Lenalee smiled, pleased by his perfect timing. "Thank you," she said, resting her elbows against the bar.

"Did you want another?" he asked, not looking Lenalee in the eyes as he did so.

"Sure, why not," Lenalee replied, smiling easily. "If Allen is going to take this long, I might as well enjoy myself, right?"

As Kanda set a fresh daiquiri in front of Lenalee, he spoke up again, against his better judgment. "Why don't you just go home and leave the damn beansprout to fend for himself?"

Lenalee giggled at the tragically accurate nickname. "Well, for one thing, he has the keys to the van. And secondly, I'm not hauling all those instruments up the stairs myself. Also, I probably shouldn't drive after three daiquiris."

"Hn," Kanda grumbled, turning to clean the counter again.

Stirring her drink with the comically bright pink straw, Lenalee watched Kanda as his back was turned to her. Kanda might have been taciturn, but at least he was better company than she usually found at bars. The constant one liners and dirty jokes were bad enough, but most men looked at her as if she were a thing — a piece of meat to be gnawed on. Kanda didn't look at her like that. Hell, he rarely looked at her at all. Then, of course, his fight last weekend defending her from those barbarian frat boys had clinched Lenalee's approval. They didn't know each other well, but he had helped her without any thought. That was someone she wanted to trust.

The minutes ticked by and Lenalee kept checking the time on her cell phone. With a sigh, she started in on her drink. What the hell was Allen doing up there?

xXxXxXx

Lavi wasn't sure how it happened so fast. One moment, he and Allen were in the kitchen, kissing. The next, they had made their way out of the kitchen, across the living room, and to the bedroom. Allen's hands were up his shirt and Lavi's face buried into the brunette's soft neck, gently sucking the skin. Allen's breath came in short gasps as he held the redhead close, tugging insistently at Lavi's clothes. Things were moving quickly, faster than Lavi was prepared for. Even so, Allen's acceptance of his feelings, not to mention the brunette's hands over his body, made pushing forward easier than he realized.

Before he knew what happened, they were on Lavi's bed, Allen pushed back against the sheets and pillows with the redhead straddling his hips. The bedroom windows were open, and Lavi could hear a low rumble of thunder in the distance, even though the impending rain had yet to fall. He stared down at Allen, the brunette's chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath from their frantic kisses. Right then, as the streetlight shined in to illuminate the gorgeous musician perfectly, Lavi was reminded of his dream. With Allen lying on his back and Lavi hovering over him, he felt emotions the same as he had in the late night conjurings of his mind. The Allen in his dream moved the same, felt the same, and tasted the same as the real Allen.

Before Lavi could muse on the coincidence any further, Allen pulled Lavi's face down, capturing his lips once more in a deep, needy kiss. The rational part of Lavi's brain shut down, giving into Allen's touches and pushing all other sobering thoughts away. It was too soon for this, he knew, but in that moment, he didn't much care. Something buried inside propelled him further, ready to give himself to the brunette without another thought. After they exchanged a few more heated kisses, Lavi sat up, yanking off his shirt in one fluid motion. Once he was free of the clothing, he rid Allen of his shirt also, tossing it into a pile on the floor.

Allen pulled the shirtless redhead back down, lips moving across his collarbone and pushing his hips up into Lavi's. With a groan, Lavi buried his face in Allen's neck as their pelvises pressed together. Allen grasped at Lavi's back, a burning need building up inside him as his fingernails scraped across his skin. He wasn't usually this forward, but something had clicked in him. Desire, unlike he'd ever felt before, rose to a crescendo inside. He couldn't stop until this ache was satiated.

Moaning softly, Allen kissed over Lavi's shoulders. They pawed and rubbed against each other, leaving open mouthed kisses along exposed skin. Feeling more adventurous, and completely lacking any self control, Allen's hand dipped low, palm pressing earnestly against the hardness confined within Lavi's pants.

The redhead moaned into Allen's shoulder, his hips thrusting up into the brunette's hand. "Ah, you're killing me, Allen," Lavi sighed, an amused smirk on his face.

Allen shivered as Lavi's breath skimmed over his sweaty skin, raising goosebumps. "Is that a bad thing?"

Lavi pulled closer, nuzzling Allen's ear as he did so. "Only if you stop," he whispered.

"I don't want to stop," Allen replied breathlessly, pulling Lavi closer, as if the redhead would disappear if he didn't have a tight grip on him. "Please, don't stop."

The worried tone in Allen's voice gave Lavi pause. "I won't," he assured the brunette, hands running along Allen's bare torso. Lavi looked down at the brunette as a surge of emotions rushed through him. He kissed Allen before sitting up and working the button loose on the brunette's pants. Allen's blue eyes closed as Lavi stripped him of his remaining clothing, then took his own off as well. Once they were both naked, Lavi leaned down and kissed Allen once more. Their bare flesh burned against each other like hot coals, leaving Lavi to moan into Allen's mouth. Allen's hands slid up into Lavi's hair, tugging gently at the red tresses as their hardened flesh rubbed together.

Arching his back, Allen could feel the insistent need welling up inside again. As they parted for a breath, the brunette bit softly into Lavi's shoulder, holding back a moan. "Ah, Lavi," he whispered hoarsely.

The redhead could tell by Allen's nearly frantic touches that the brunette wouldn't be able to take much more foreplay. Lavi decided to take things up a notch. He slid down Allen's body, kissing and nipping at the skin on his chest and stomach as he went. When he reached lower, Lavi ran his hand over Allen's hardened length, eliciting a long pleasure filled groan. Allen trembled under Lavi's gentle caresses, hands tugging at the loose blankets underneath him.

Without wasting another moment, Lavi bent low, engulfing the brunette's hardness into his mouth. Allen gasped, his voice soaked in lust. His hips jerked up, but Lavi held him down, not wanting to be choked as he orally stimulated the younger man. His tongue and lips worked over the stiff flesh carefully, eliciting a chorus of moans from Allen that only furthered the redhead's own desire. The only sound in the room was Allen's panting, the hot knot of pleasure in his stomach twisting in a delightful mess as Lavi continued to work. Minutes passed and Allen was sure he wouldn't make it much longer, not with how hot and wet Lavi's tongue was. Each lick and brush of the muscle set Allen's body on fire, soaking him in more pleasure than he had ever experienced before.

Finally, Allen came undone, spilling himself into the redhead's mouth as he did his best to stifle the cry of satisfaction. Lavi swallowed down the milky substance, pulling away and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. As he looked at Allen, he could see just how flushed and aroused the brunette was. Ignoring his own aching need for the moment, he stretched over Allen, capturing his lips for a kiss.

Allen's hand slid back up into Lavi's hair, kissing him back with gratitude. He could taste his own saltiness in Lavi's mouth. When they separated, Lavi nibbled on the brunette's ear, tugging gently. "Are you ready to keep going?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper.

"Mm, yes," Allen answered, his arms lethargically wrapping around Lavi's waist. His climax left him buzzing in the afterglow, warm and happy.

Lavi grinned widely, kissing Allen's neck. "Good. Let me know if you need me to stop, ok?"

"Mhmm," Allen mumbled.

Reaching over to the nightstand, Lavi pulled open the drawer and grabbed a small bottle of lubricant. With the liquid in hand, Lavi sat back on his knees and ran his free hand over Allen's legs, spreading them with sweet touches. Dribbling a generous amount of lube on his fingers, he slipped his hand down and found Allen's entrance, slathering the substance over the brunette's backside. When Lavi's first finger intruded, Allen groaned, though not in pain. Slowly, Lavi worked his slick fingers into Allen, prepping him with care. When he judged the brunette to be ready, he put extra lubricant on himself as well and tossed the closed bottle aside, not caring where it landed. Lavi pushed Allen's legs back and further apart, positioning himself at Allen's entrance. It took immense focus not to simply slam himself right into his lover.

Slowly, and with great concentration, Lavi pressed into Allen, the brunette's heat wrapping around him tightly. Allen moaned loudly at the intrusion, legs quivering. Once Lavi was pressed all the way into Allen, he paused, hands holding tightly onto the brunette's knees. He took a few calming breaths, waiting for Allen to adjust to him, then began pushing back and forth. Each movement sent a tremble through Lavi. He never felt this good before, and every thrust into Allen doubled the pleasure. His fingers gripped the brunette's legs, adjusting him again to press deeper inside.

Underneath him, Allen continued to breath heavily, sighs and gasps coming intermittently with each thrust. His blue eyes were half lidded, watching Lavi as he penetrated him over and over again. It felt so familiar, as if they had done this countless times before. Allen's mind only half registered the thought, still caught up in rush of feelings threatening to overload him. Before he knew it, Lavi's pace quickened. He could hear the redhead on top of him, grunting from exertion and pleasure. Allen's own voice soon joined Lavi's, echoing around the room.

Lavi pumped harder, faster, his mind nearly numb from the pure ecstasy Allen was causing him. His fingers dug into Allen's legs as he continued to thrust into him. Before he knew what had happened, Lavi came with a long moan. His legs gave out finally, the strain of staying upright too much for him, and collapsed onto Allen. His face buried into the brunette's neck, breath heavy and hot.

Allen let out a small "oof" as Lavi landed on him. A tired smile graced his features as he wrapped his arms around the redhead. The sexual high still lingered in the room, Allen's face and body still flushed. They stayed in that collapsed heap for nearly five minutes, catching their breaths, before Lavi gathered enough strength to push off of Allen and flop next to him on the bed. Allen watched him as he pulled the blankets up around them both. Once they were covered, Lavi pulled the brunette close to him, holding him in a tight hug.

Allen sighed, his wits still scattered around the room like his clothes. He moved to get up after a long, quiet moment, but Lavi pulled him back into the bed.

"Please stay," Lavi asked, not looking at Allen. He kept his face buried in the crook of Allen's neck.

"I will," Allen reassured him, his hand reaching up and stroking Lavi's red hair. Quietly, they lay together, falling asleep in each other's arms.


	6. Chapter 6

_Tie me up against the mast and shield the sunlight from my eyes  
I no longer can resist the haunting of her cries  
They call me from the jagged rock  
It was the sweetest melody  
Like golden honey dripping from the fingertips of God  
I feel the wind against my face from the flapping of her wings  
I feel the black and silky tenderness all choking me_

_But I can almost taste happiness  
It's such a long way off  
But I can almost feel your embrace  
Above the siren's call_

_Darren Hayes - The Siren's Call_

xXxXxXx

Lenalee sighed. It had been nearly an hour and half since Allen disappearEd with Lavi upstairs. She downed three daiquiris waiting for him and he had yet to show his face since. "What the hell is he doing, anyway?" she asked, mostly to herself. She tapped her fingers along the bartop, a frown marring her face.

Kanda looked up at Lenalee, setting down the now cleaned glass in its rightful spot. "Who?"

"Allen! He's been gone for an hour and a half. I can't just wait here all night long."

"Ugh, they're probably fucking," Kanda added in, a sour look on his face. God, they would be doing that, wouldn't they? And right above his head. He felt nauseated at the thought.

Lenalee blushed bright red at the comment. "W-What?"

"You mean you didn't notice?" Kanda replied, still sounding sick to his stomach. "Those two have been eye fucking each other for weeks. I'm surprised they didn't do it sooner."

Lenalee felt the tiniest bit of betrayal over Allen not telling her what was going on with Lavi. Of course, she only had Kanda's word that that was _actually_ happening. She wasn't at the bar as much as Kanda, so he did get to see Lavi and Allen interact more than she did. Still, why wouldn't Allen tell her? They were best friends. This wasn't something to keep secret from your best friend!

Either way, she certainly couldn't go up there and fetch the keys to the van while _that_ was going on. She sighed. Just her luck.

Her patience had ended — she wasn't going to spend the rest of her night waiting, especially if Allen was up there with Lavi… _enjoying_ himself. Pulling out her wallet, she grabbed some cash and sighed loudly. "Well, I'm not waiting for him anymore. I'm going home." She handed Kanda the money for her drinks and tucked her wallet back into her purse.

Kanda took the money, depositing it in the cash register. "What, are you going to walk?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. It's not that far." Lenalee set her purse aside as she pulled her light coat on.

Kanda pursed his lips, not liking the idea of the musician walking home on her own. Not only was it nearly midnight, but he knew her apartment was further than she made out. He had taken beansprout home the night he and Lavi got completely wasted playing cards and their apartment was nearly twelve blocks away. It wasn't an impossible walk, but it also wasn't one to walk alone at night, especially if you were a woman. Anything could happen if she walked those twelve blocks by herself — and Kanda didn't want anything to happen to Lenalee.

"I'll take you," he said without another thought, untying his apron.

The sudden declaration took Lenalee by surprise. "No, you don't have to do that, Kanda. You're working. I can take care of myself fine enough."

"We can ride on my motorcycle. It'll take five minutes." He walked out from behind the bar, grabbing his helmet on the way.

"No, really, Kanda. It's all right," Lenalee insisted, not wanting to be a bother.

Kanda ignored her protesting and looked around the room until he spotted one of his coworkers. "Hey, Laura. You're in charge. I'm leaving." He turned to Lenalee. "Let's go." He started walking out, not even waiting for a reply.

Lenalee followed, embarrassed to be fussed over. "Kanda, you don't have to take me home."

"No, I don't have to, but I will anyway."

They exited the building, and headed around the back. Kanda handed his helmet to her as they approached his motorcycle. "You wear it. I only have one."

At this point, Lenalee just sighed. It seemed that Kanda wasn't taking no for an answer. Even if she felt it wasn't necessary to be escorted home, she had to admit it was nice to be fussed over. Besides, she didn't mind Kanda's company. She put the helmet on, adjusting it slightly as she hopped on the back of the bike behind Kanda. He revved the engine to life, then kicked back the stand.

"Hold on tight," he said over his shoulder as they started off down the street.

Lenalee squeezed Kanda's midsection, holding on for her life. She never rode on a motorcycle before and already she was biting back a scream of terror. She shut her eyes, waiting for the ride to be over. The only thing keeping her calm was Kanda's strong, unbending presence. It was as if she knew there would never be a need to worry or fear when the long haired man was with her. Even though she was scared and nervous, she knew deep down it would be all right.

Nothing would go wrong as long as Kanda was there.

True to his word, they made it to her apartment building in just under five minutes, much quicker than she would've made it on her own. Carefully prying her stiff arms from around Kanda's waist, she got herself to her feet and pulled the helmet free, her long, black hair now a mess. She smiled at her escort. "Thank you, Kanda."

Kanda looked away. With her hair disheveled and that smile on her face, she looked damn cute. "You're welcome."

Just as Lenalee was about to hand the helmet back to Kanda, a dangerously large crack of lightning whipped across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The shock of it all made Lenalee jump, clutching the helmet to her chest and cringing. Even Kanda looked frazzled. As Lenalee opened her eyes again, the rain came. It was as if the sky ripped open and a deluge funneled itself right above them. The rain drops were large and heavy, pelting them both mercilessly.

"This rain is really bad. You should come inside," Lenalee said, her shoulders hunched up, trying to keep the rain from sneaking down her jacket.

"I'll be fine," Kanda said, even though he could barely keep his eyes open in the rain.

"C'mon, Kanda," Lenalee insisted with a smile. "You drove me out here. You might as well wait until the storm passes. It shouldn't be long."

Kanda just stared at her, not moving from the bike. He had a dour frown on his face, feeling like he wouldn't be getting his way on the issue. "Really, I'll be fine. It's not that—" Before he could finish his sentence, another monstrous clap of thunder echoed over them, accompanied by a dazzling display of lightning.

Lenalee grabbed Kanda's wrist and pulled him off his bike. "Let's go. I'm not letting you leave in this weather."

Sighing in defeat, Kanda followed the dark haired woman as she darted towards the building. She pushed open the front door and they headed up the stairs. The building's hallways were dimly lit and cobwebs hung in the corners. The rain pelted the roof so violently that they could hear it from the first floor. As they headed up to the apartment, Lenalee noticed their clothing was soaked. Luckily, it wasn't anything a towel and a hair dryer couldn't fix, but it was still uncomfortable and cold.

Kanda followed Lenalee until they reached the end of the hallway. She opened the door marked #4 and ushered him inside. As she turned the lights on, Kanda was amazed at how homey the place seemed, considering the exterior was a dump. Cheerful potted plants dotted the rooms, set on tables and window sills, or hanging from the ceiling. A comfortable looking futon and a few cozy, mismatched chairs were situated around a coffee table in the living room.

After closing the door, Lenalee disappeared into the bathroom for a quick moment, then came back with two towels, both purple and pink. She handed one to Kanda while the other rested over her shoulders. "Here, use this to dry off. I'll make a pot of tea. Do you like green?"

"Yeah," Kanda answered as he scrubbed the towel over his head. Green tea was actually his favorite and he wondered if it was just coincidence that she picked that flavor.

Lenalee hummed to herself as she filled a teapot and set it on the stove to boil. Pulling two mugs from the cupboard, she set to work on preparing the tea, moving the towel over her head and drying her hair as she waited for the water to boil. "Go ahead and sit down. This'll be a few minutes."

Without a word, Kanda did as told, his hair finally drying up a bit. He had to pull it loose from the ever present ponytail to get it to dry properly. If he had driven home, he would have been soaked to the core by the time he got to his apartment across town and probably would've needed more than just one towel to dry off. Now that he thought about it rationally, he probably would've barely made it back, considering how heavy the downpour was. By the time he finished drying off, he stood up in time to see Lenalee pouring the tea.

"Here. I'm dry enough." He handed her the towel after she set the kettle back on the stove.

"Ok. Grab a mug of tea. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold, right?" she said, taking his towel and her own back to the bathroom. She emerged back with a brush in her hand. They each took a mug of hot tea and headed back to the living room.

Lenalee sat in one of the chairs while Kanda took an end of the futon. He drank down the tea, the hot liquid warming him to the core. After a long gulp, he set it back down on the coffee table. "Thank you for the tea."

"You're most welcome. Though, I should be thanking you. You did take me home after all. And if I had started walking, I would've been stuck in this rain for who knows how long." She started working the brush through her hair, pulling the damp knots out of it slowly. "I"m sorry you had to go out of your way and now you're stuck here."

"It wasn't a problem. Besides, it was that damn beansprout who ditched you. He should be the one apologizing."

Lenalee sighed. That was definitely true. She only hoped no one tried to break into the van during the night. They had left some expensive equipment in there. Shaking the thought from her head, she turned to work on the other half of her hair. "I can't believe Allen didn't tell me about him and Lavi… We're best friends. He's supposed to tell me things."

Kanda shrugged, picking up his mug again. "It wasn't like Lavi said anything. I just knew."

Lenalee blinked, watching Kanda as he drank down more of the tea. "How long have you known Lavi?"

"Ugh, forever. That idiot's been around since middle school."

Lenalee laughed at Kanda's choice of words. "That's a long time. I've only known Allen since college." She finished brushing her hair and looked over to Kanda. It was then that she realized his hair was still a mess from the rain. "Um, would you like me to brush your hair? It'll get knotted if you leave it to dry like that."

"Er… Sure," Kanda said, sounding slightly uncomfortable. No one had brushed his hair since he was a child and the thought of having Lenalee so close… Well, it made him nervous.

Thinking nothing of it, Lenalee switched seats, sitting next to Kanda on the futon, her feet tucked under her as she stood on her knees so she could reach easier. Taking one handful of hair at a time, Lenalee worked the brush with gentle fingers, untangling the mess that Kanda's hair had become. The soft touches felt wonderful, tickling his scalp and occasionally his neck as Lenalee worked her magic on his long, unruly tresses.

As she continued to work the brush through his hair, Lenalee spoke up again, not liking the silence that fell between them. "You know, I love combing other people's hair. I never had a sister, so I didn't get to do this very often." She smiled, working the last section of hair. "Your hair is very nice."

The next words out of Kanda's mouth left before he could censor them. "Not as nice as yours." As soon as he realized the blatant compliment he gave her, he grimaced. Luckily, she couldn't see his face, or the slight blush that worked its way onto his cheeks.

Lenalee pulled the last stroke of the brush through his hair before sitting back on her feet. She smiled gently at Kanda's words. Kanda opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, the power cut to the building, leaving them both in darkness.

"Aw, crap," Lenalee groaned, looking around in a futile attempt to see. "Looks like the storm is still pretty bad." Using her memory and touch to navigate the room, she made it to the window and peeked outside. She couldn't see any other lights on her block, or the block further down either. Lightning still danced across the sky. "I think the power's out all over. Nothing to do but wait it out."

"Hn," Kanda replied, noncommittally. He was actually thankful for the blessed darkness. Maybe now he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of Lenalee. He could hear her shuffle around the room, moving to the kitchen. He could barely make out Lenalee's figure in the dark with the periodic lightning flashes illuminating the room.

"I'll get a candle," she said, moving to her room. When she reemerged, she had a lit candle in one hand. It was a large pillar candle in a decorative holder, though Kanda couldn't make out the design. In her other hand was a blanket and a pillow. "I don't think the storm will let up any time soon. You can sleep on the futon. Don't worry, it's pretty comfortable." She handed him the bedding, then set the candle on the coffee table.

Kanda only sighed. He didn't want to intrude, but it was much too late to protest now. He couldn't very well leave the house when such a storm was going on. Instead, he gave into his fate and propped the pillow at the end of the futon. "Thanks."

"I'll leave the candle for you in case you need it. Good night, Kanda."

"Night," he mumbled flopping down on the futon. He kicked off his boots then spread the blanket out. She was right — it was comfortable enough. Still, that wasn't the reason for his discomfort. He would deny it as long as he could, but the truth was there. He was very much attracted to the guitarist in the other room. While his idiot boss was infatuated with that idiot beansprout, he had felt an attraction to Lenalee since he first saw her play at the bar. He could deny it all he wanted, but that didn't make his feelings go away.

And now he was stuck in her apartment for the night?

He didn't want to deal with this. There were other things to worry about, more important things that took precedence over a silly crush. But no matter how many times he told himself otherwise, he still couldn't shake the hold she had on him. That was why he wouldn't let her walk home alone. That was why he had beaten the shit out of those bastards hitting on her in the bar. He liked her. He liked her a lot.

He just wasn't ready to admit it out loud.

Sighing, he turned around on the futon, finding a comfortable place to sleep and pulling the blanket up to his chin. Since he couldn't go anywhere, he might as well get some rest.

xXxXxXx

Her golden eyes snapped open, awakened from a century's long sleep as the familiar waves of energy lightly rippled through the confines of her room. It was them – _him._ There was no mistaking those life forces for anything other than the ones she had been searching for. Sitting up, the deceptively young girl stretched her thin limbs over her head, then brushed back her spiky blue hair. Yes, she had been waiting a long time for this moment to come. Killing them once wasn't enough for her – she was going to inflict her revenge over a thousand lifetimes if it was necessary. It was what they deserved, after all, for killing her family and leaving her as the only survivor.

The young girl stood on shaky legs, no longer used to walking after her hibernation. She waited for those damned exorcists to be born again for years, setting her room in the broken Ark to waken her when the vibrational signatures were just right, when they all found each other again and their life energies harmonized. She would kill them once more, rip their throats out, for cursing her to live alone like this. Eternal life was nothing without her family, without the other Noah.

It was no longer the gift she once thought. It was a curse.

She pressed her hand to the wall, commanding what was left of the Ark with her thoughts. The exorcists had made sure the reality-bending transport was in shambles, but she knew things they didn't. She knew it could still work in its current state. It was where she spent the last hundred years waiting, hoping to find them once more. Locking the ship onto their coordinates, the young girl sat back down on her bed, waiting to arrive. She wouldn't let them get away with what they did.

She would have her revenge.

xXxXxXx

It was the sun in his eyes that woke Allen up from a restful sleep. Strong arms wrapped around his torso as he curled on his side, face resting comfortably on a pillow. Even though he tried to hide from it, the sun's rays came in the window at the perfect angle to hit the brunette square in the face. He sighed, trying to turn, but found himself quite stuck, his body pressed up against Lavi and held tightly.

Drowsily, Allen's blue eyes opened and focused on the cluttered mess that was Lavi's bedroom. Clothes were strewn about, books and CDs left in random places. Allen was used to the order and cleanliness of his own room. This was a disaster. He wasn't sure how they had managed to traverse the piles of items left haphazardly on the ground last night, especially in the darkness.

After that sobering thought, Allen's mind recreated the sultry images from last night. In the harsh light of day, he could see they had taken things too far. What was he thinking, sleeping with someone who had just confessed feelings for him? It was rash and foolish.

Still, even as he thought things were moving too fast, Allen realized that he wouldn't have done things differently. He followed his instincts, his heart. He only prayed that they were right. As he fidgeted in bed, he could feel Lavi stirring behind him.

Lavi groaned against Allen's neck, pulling him closer against his naked body. Allen could tell he didn't want to wake up. It was still early and he was sure Lavi slept in most mornings, considering he was usually up late tending to his bar. By contrast, Allen woke up earlier. He could see a clock on the cluttered nightstand that read 7:50AM. Allen was normally up by now anyway.

Allen twisted around in Lavi's grip, facing the redhead. Their noses just barely touched. He looked at Lavi with concern. Was this a mistake? They had only known each other for a few months, but being held in the redhead's arms just felt so damn right. He couldn't deny that.

Lavi finally cracked open his green eyes, finding the brunette staring back at him with a small smile on his face. He grinned back, sleepily, and pulled Allen in for a quick, chaste kiss.

"G'morning," he managed to croak out, stretching his arms overhead and letting Allen go. The blankets pulled down as Lavi sat up, pooling around his waist. He looked down at Allen as he popped a kink out of his neck. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, watching the brunette with soft eyes.

"Mhm, I did," Allen replied, sitting up as well. He tugged the blankets to keep himself hidden underneath. A faint blush spread over his face as he averted his eyes away from the redhead. "H-How about you?"

"Better than normal, thanks to you," Lavi said with a large grin, kissing Allen once more, though this time on the cheek. "Want some breakfast? I'll make you whatever you want."

"Sure," Allen replied, his face still flushed pink. "Anything is fine."

"Hmm, pancakes?"

"Sounds good."

Lavi got up, grabbing his discarded jeans and underwear and slipping them on. "You can take a shower while I make some." He left the room, shirtless, and hurried into the kitchen to start on breakfast.

Allen slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed, listening to Lavi as he started cooking. The bathroom was attached to the bedroom, so Allen quickly ducked in and closed the door. The brunette took a deep breath once he was alone and a small smile graced his features. No, he was wrong. This wasn't too fast and too soon. This was right.

xXxXxXx

By the time Allen had left Lavi's place, it was almost 9:00AM. The streets were damp and the air felt heavy from last night's rain. Allen already regretted leaving Lavi's apartment above the bar, but he had to get home. Lenalee would be worried and furious at him. He hadn't remembered until that morning that he had the van key, essentially leaving his bandmate stranded. He felt horrible for ditching her like he had. There really was no excuse.

Finding the van exactly where he left it, Allen made his way home. It took all of five minutes to drive back and find a parking spot on the street. Leaving the instruments in the back for the time being, Allen locked the vehicle and went upstairs to his apartment. Just as he grabbed for the doorknob, the door flew open. The brunette lost his balance and fell forward, smashing his face into something hard.

"Goddamnit, beansprout! Watch where you're going!" Kanda growled, pushing Allen out of the way.

Allen just blinked, standing in front of the opened door of his apartment, watching Kanda trudge down the stairs, disappearing around the corner. He kept staring, unsure of what had exactly happened, when Lenalee finally broke him out of his trance.

"Oh, look who finally decided to come home," she chided, her hands at her hips as she watched Allen from the living room.

Still confused, Allen walked into the apartment, shutting the door behind him. It took a few more seconds to get his words out. "What the hell was Kanda doing here?" he asked, finding this the most pressing question in his mind.

With a frown marring her face, Lenalee glared at Allen. "I think the better question is, where the hell were you last night?"

At the question of his whereabouts, Allen flushed brightly. "Er… Um… Nowhere special."

Lenalee smirked then, amusement overriding her anger over being ditched the night before. "Oh, really? Because your neck is telling a different story," she announced poking at the brunette's exposed neck.

"My… What?" Allen asked quickly, then ran into the bathroom to see what his friend was talking about.

As he looked into the mirror, he could see multiple bruise like marks on his neck, and even more on his shoulders when he moved the collar of his shirt out of the way. Allen blanched, embarrassment completely taking over. He was covered in hickies. "Aw, hell," he grumbled, not liking the results of his late night frolic to be so visible on his skin.

Lenalee laughed loudly from the living room, hearing her roommate's cry of anguish. Allen sighed and left the bathroom, then walked back into the living room, flopping himself on the futon. He said nothing, though from the look on Lenalee's face, he figured she knew more than she was letting on.

Pushing back the brown bangs from his forehead, Allen sighed. "I'm sorry I left you last night. I sorta got… distracted."

"Distracted might be an understatement," Lenalee replied, tilting her head slightly as she observed her now completely embarrassed roommate. "You could've at least left me with the keys to the van before you left with Lavi."

"I know. I'm sorry," Allen repeated, still mad at himself for leaving his roommate in a pinch. "It wasn't like I had planned it."

Lenalee shook her head. Allen seemed to be more irate at himself than she was with him. The brunette was always hardest on himself. Forgetting her aggravation of the previous night, she walked around the coffee table and sat next to her roommate. "Don't worry, Allen. It's all right. I got a ride home last night, so don't beat yourself up over it."

Lenalee's words shook Allen out of his funk. "Who gave you a ride home?"

"Kanda."

"Wait, why was he still here?"

"He stayed the night."

There was a long, pregnant pause. "…Wait a minute. Are you telling me he spent the night here with you?!"

Allen's accusation made Lenalee giggle. She shook her head, trying to reign in her fit of laugher. "Not like that. When he dropped me off, it started storming out. He stayed on the futon for the night. There was no way he was going to make it home on his bike in _that_ storm. The power even went out for a few hours. It came back on before I woke up this morning."

Allen tried to recall the rain from last night, but when he did, all he could think of was Lavi. He had been so focused on the redhead, the storm didn't even register. He blushed again, his mind going over the intimate details of his own little sleepover.

"Ah, well I guess I owe him for getting you home safe." Allen didn't like being in Kanda's debt. The cranky bartender didn't really like him, and as far as Allen was concerned, the feeling was mutual. Owing Kanda gratitude only put Allen in a bad mood.

"Anyway, I have a bone to pick with you, mister," Lenalee started in, changing the subject.

"Huh?" Allen asked, his attention focusing back on his long haired friend.

"Why didn't you tell me that you and Lavi were together?!"

Allen nearly jumped out of his seat from the force of Lenalee's excited question. "Well, it's complicated…" he started to explain, not sure what to say. He and Lavi hadn't exactly discussed what they were to each other. Things had happened so fast…

During Allen's silence, Lenalee got a thoughtful look on her face. "Is that why you were distracted this week?" Lenalee had been certain that if she didn't keep an eye on Allen, he might have walked into a wall. He was so immersed in his own thoughts, the rest of the world might as well not have existed.

"Oh, was it that noticeable?" Allen asked, chuckling a bit. He knew he was off, but he didn't realize Lenalee had caught on so easily. She was too good at reading him.

Lenalee chuckled softly. "Sweetie, it was obvious you had something on your mind. I just didn't know it was some_one_ and not some_thing_."

Allen blushed, looking away from his friend. Even though Lenalee thought it was too adorable how embarrassed Allen was, she didn't want to tease him anymore. She had her fun for the moment. Standing up, she grabbed her purse, which had been sitting on the coffee table, and slipped on her shoes. "Well, I'd love to stay and hear all the steamy details of your love life, but I have to get to work." She smiled at Allen as she grabbed her keys and opened the door to the apartment. "And don't forget to bring in the instruments from the van. I'm just going to walk to work."

Sighing, Allen got up off the futon and grabbed the keys to the van, intent on getting the job done right then. "Such a taskmaster," he whined, though only jokingly.

As Lenalee headed down the stairs, she called back, "Well, if you weren't playing tonsil hockey with your boyfriend last night, it would've been done already."

The brunette blushed even harder.


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm kinda reeling  
A deja vu feeling  
We've been together  
In another life_

Got me extending  
That network's ending  
The future echoes  
With your memory

Darren Hayes - Me, Myself, And (I)

xXxXxXx

"Ugh, they are driving me insane," Kanda growled, twisting the towel in his hand until the fibers were ready to snap.

Lenalee smiled, tilting her head so she could see where the bartender was looking. Off in a corner, at a secluded table in the back, Lavi and Allen were seated. The redhead threw his arm around Allen, whispering in his ear as the brunette blushed hotly. Lenalee laughed, shaking her head. "What's wrong, Kanda? You don't like Lavi and Allen together?"

"I couldn't care less what they do, but do they have to do it in front of me? I think I might throw up."

"I think it's cute," Lenalee affirmed, taking a sip from her glass of soda.

Kanda only grumbled in return, putting away a glass he had been cleaning. Lenalee continued to sip at her drink as she watched Kanda work. It had been two weeks since her roommate and Lavi had gotten together and as such, she and Allen were spending more time at the bar than usual. They both had today free, as they were performing at the Lime Rocket club later that night, and Lavi had convinced her and Allen to come over for a late lunch at the bar.

Lunch had been over an hour ago, yet they were still at the Flame. The lull before the night crowd showed up left the bar mostly empty, which suited Lenalee just fine. It wasn't long before they were supposed to head over to the club to prep for the gig. They still needed to grab their equipment from home before they headed up town. Lenalee continued to watch Kanda as he worked, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. She had dodged asking him the question that had burned in her mind all day and time was running short.

"Ah, Kanda?" she started nervously.

"Hm?" he asked, a scowl still on his face from earlier. However, when he looked at Lenalee, the frown lessened.

"Allen and I are playing over at Lime Rocket tonight at eight. Did… Did you want to come? Lavi will be there, too." There. She asked him. Now she couldn't call herself a coward for chickening out.

Kanda paused as he picked up another glass to clean. This was the first time Lenalee had asked him to see her outside of the bar. Part of him thought it was funny she was asking him to go to _another_ bar, but that was a different point entirely. And while he loathed to spend more time than absolutely necessary with his boss and that idiot beansprout, he did want to see Lenalee…

"Sure."

"Really?"

"I just said yes, didn't I?" Kanda said, staring down at the glass he was cleaning.

Lenalee grinned, her fingers tightening around the cool glass in her hands. "Great! I'll see you there, then? Allen and I should probably get going." She hopped from the bar chair and darted off to grab her bandmate before leaving.

"C'mon, Allen. We'd better go before we're late," she said, waiting for Allen to free himself from Lavi's arm.

"Aw, Lenalee! Have a heart! Can't he stay for a little longer?" Lavi whined, wrapping both his arms around the brunette and mock-pouting.

Allen sighed, his face in a constant state of blushing. Lavi had been extra clingy today, not missing a single chance to touch him. It wasn't as if Allen didn't like the physical contact — far from it in fact. However, being so touchy in front of others embarrassed the brunette. "Lavi, you'll see me in a few hours at the club."

"It's too long apart, Allen. My heart can't take it."

Allen rolled his eyes and pried himself out of Lavi's grip. "Stop being ridiculous," he said, exasperated. When he finally pulled free and stood up, he looked down at Lavi, who only grinned up at the brunette. "Eight o'clock, remember?"

"I remember," Lavi replied, leaning back in the booth. "I'll be there will bells on."

"Hopefully not _just_ bells," Lenalee interjected, giggling at the thought.

"Not unless requested," Lavi shot back, joining in the guitarist's laughter.

"And where exactly do you hang these bells?"

"That would ruin the surprise, my dear!"

Allen sighed again, but this time a smile graced his lips. "You two are so weird." He started walking towards the door, his head shaking at their crude jokes. Lenalee hid a smile behind her hand as she followed Allen.

"See you in a few hours," Lavi called after them, just barely holding back his chuckles. When the musicians left the bar, Lavi gathered his and Allen's drinks and food baskets, bringing them to the kitchen for clean up. As he walked behind the bar, humming along to the juke box, he spotted Kanda putting away the last of the clean glasses. The usually cranky Japanese man seemed more chipper than he did earlier that day.

"Hey, what's got you in such a good mood?" Lavi asked, dumping the garbage in the trash and tossing the dishes in the washer.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Lavi asked back, skeptically.

"I'm not repeating myself," Kanda said, his voice gaining its usual edge.

"Hmm, whatever you say, Yuu."

"Don't call me that," he growled.

xXxXxXx

Lime Rocket was packed, the crowd taking up all the tables and the bar space available. Lavi had procured a small table on the far side of the club, out of the way of the crazier patrons. The club was rowdier than he was used to. Quietly sipping his whiskey and coke, the redhead watched as Lenalee and Allen finished the last bit of prep work. The lights were just turning down as someone claimed the chair at his table. Lavi spared a glance at the last minute show-goer, but did a double take when he recognized the cranky facade.

"Yuu? What are you doing here?"

"Shut up, idiot. The show is starting," Kanda shot back, not looking at the redhead and instead focusing on the stage. He crossed his arms and sat stiffly in the wooden chair.

Lavi blinked, taken aback. After a moment, he smiled at his friend, then joined him in watching the stage just as the show began.

Allen and Lenalee played a few new songs that they had finished composing recently, mixing them in with their more popular songs. It was the first time they had played at this venue, and Allen found himself continuously looking up into the crowd to find Lavi. He had spotted the redhead just before the performance began, so he knew where to look, despite the lights glaring in his eyes on stage.

Allen was so used to playing at The Flame that working a gig at Lime Rocket felt foreign to him. It only served to remind the brunette just how many shows he played at Lavi's bar. He really had to thank him. Without Lavi's help, the band wouldn't be as popular as it was now.

Lenalee and Allen played a great show, as usual, leaving the audience satisfied. Just as Allen pressed his fingers on the keyboard, signaling to Lenalee that the last song was starting, Allen looked up into the crowd and noticed a girl who hadn't been there before.

She was staring at him, golden eyes focused on his blue ones as her eyebrows knit slightly. While everyone around her was moving, dancing, and talking amongst themselves, she was standing absolutely still. Her gaze pierced through Allen like a hot knife through butter, as if she were seeing into him. She unnerved him so much; it was only through years of practice that Allen managed to keep the beat and play his keyboard without missing a note.

Then her voice, or only what Allen imagined as her voice, shot into his mind. As the words echoed in his head, a small, sinister smile appeared on her face. _It's almost time to play again, Allen. You and your exorcist friends._

An image appeared in Allen's mind then, the music still playing around him on stage. _Under the night sky, stars twinkling above him, Allen could see Lavi, though it wasn't his Lavi. He looked the same, except he had an eye patch and was a few years younger than the Lavi Allen knew now. The redhead was crying and caked in blood and dirt as he gripped Allen's limp, pale hand. Allen wanted to call out to him, but he couldn't. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. "Allen. Please… you have to make it. Please don't leave me — not like this," Lavi cried, his voice racked with desperation, tears streaming down his face._

The vision shook Allen, making him falter at the keyboard. Luckily, no one noticed the slip but him and he continued playing. When he regained his composure, he looked up again, but the girl was gone. Trying to keep calm, Allen continued to play, finishing the last song after a few more minutes. He and Lenalee left the stage with applause, another show well done.

The lights turned down on the stage and back up in the club, signaling an end to the performance. As the musicians walked off stage, Lenalee took hold of Allen's elbow. "Hey, are you ok?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.

Allen blinked, a bit shaken that his friend would notice his disturbance so quickly. Was he that rattled? "Yeah, I think so."

"What happened in the last song? You missed a few notes."

Of course Lenalee would notice. She knew their songs just as well as Allen did. She would recognize if he faltered. "Sorry, Lena. I was just distracted, I think."

Lenalee smiled softly. "It's ok, Allen."

They walked over to the tiny table Lavi and Kanda sat at, Allen leading the way. Usually, they would pack up their instruments right away, but the strange vision he had on stage made him want to see Lavi. No, not just see. He had to touch him, feel him, to make sure everything was all right.

"Great show as always," Lavi said, standing up when the two musicians reached the table. He kissed Allen on the cheek, pulling the brunette in for a quick hug. "You were spectacular."

"Thanks," Allen replied, relaxing in the redhead's arms. A wave of relief washed over him as he tried to forget the strange girl and the images in his mind.

Lenalee smiled, looking over at Kanda. "Thanks for coming," she said, shyly.

Kanda shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not a big deal." He looked off to the side, finding something in the corner of club to stare at.

"Still, I'm happy you came."

Lavi's green eyes darted between Lenalee and Kanda for a moment before a smile grew on his face. He pulled Allen back towards the stage and away from their two friends. "C'mon. I'll help you pack up your stuff."

"You sure?" Allen asked, but let Lavi pull him towards the stage anyway. " You don't have to help."

When they were far enough way from their two friends, Lavi leaned in close to Allen's ear and whispered, "We should give Lenalee and Yuu some time alone."

"Eh? What for?" Allen asked, confusion written on his face.

Lavi smiled as they hopped on stage and started putting the instruments away. "What? You don't see it?"

Allen carefully unplugged and packed away his keyboard. "I don't know what you're talking about." He rooted around with the cords for a moment before coiling them up properly.

Lavi grabbed one of the amps as he followed Allen out the back door to the van. Once the cool night air hit them, the redhead spoke up. They were alone and didn't need to keep quiet. "Lenalee and Yuu. Can't you see it? They are totally crushing on each other."

Allen almost dropped his keyboard on the pavement as he gave his boyfriend an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me?" Allen asked.

Lavi opened the van door and hefted the large amp up into the back. "Trust me," he started, his voice strained as he lifted the amplifier. "I've known Yuu for a long time. He likes her." The redhead grabbed the keyboard from Allen's hands and packed it away, the brunette too taken aback to move.

After a moment, Allen groaned. "Not Kanda. He's such a jerk."

"He's not so bad," Lavi replied as they walked back in to retrieve the rest of the equipment. "He's just… rough around the edges."

"He still calls me beansprout! I don't think he actually knows my real name."

"Sure he does! But beansprout is cuter. I should call you that, too," Lavi teased, ruffling Allen's brown hair.

Allen frowned, pushing Lavi's hand away. "Do _not_ call me that."

"What about shortstack?"

"No!"

"Aw, c'mon Allen. Don't be a stick in the mud."

As soon as they went back in the club, there was new music playing and it was loud, drowning out any retort Allen might have been able to shoot back at the redhead. All he managed was to give Lavi a stern look before walking to the stage. They finished grabbing the rest of the equipment, letting Lenalee off the hook for clean up. After Allen locked up the van, he sighed, ready to get home. He shoved the keys back in his pocket and looked over at Lavi as he rested against the back of the van.

Lavi leaned in close to Allen, his hand against the van keeping him propped up. "Are you going home now?"

"I was thinking about it," Allen admitted, exhausted from the performance and the emotional shock he'd just received. His mind drifted back to the weird girl for a moment before he pushed the thought away. "I don't really like this club."

"Oh?"

"It's too loud. I like your place better."

Lavi smiled, mischief on his lips. "Well, I could take you there now if you want?"

"Hmm," Allen started, looking into Lavi's deep, green eyes. He smirked. "I don't know. You might have to convince me."

Lavi chuckled, but didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned down and claimed Allen's lips with his own, kissing him deeply. Allen tilted his head back, drinking in the taste of Lavi as they stood there. The brunette reached out, pulling Lavi closer as Lavi's hand left its place on the van and slipped into Allen's hair. When Lavi finally pulled away from the kiss, he looked down at Allen with a smug grin.

"Convinced?"

"I think so."

"Good," Lavi leaned down and kissed Allen again, then pulled the brunette with him back into the club. "You should give Lenalee the van keys. I can drive you."

"All right." They walked inside, the music flooding around them once more. Lavi held tight to Allen's hand as they wound their way around the throng of people.

Kanda and Lenalee were still at the same table, sitting with a pair of drinks in their hands. When Lenalee noticed them, she smiled and waved them over.

"Where did you two disappear?" she asked, setting her drink aside.

"We packed up the van," Allen said, digging out the keys from his pocket and handing them to her. "I'm leaving with Lavi."

"You sure you don't want to stay?" Lenalee asked.

"Tch, of course not. They want to go fuck," Kanda interjected, taking a long gulp from his drink.

"Way to be blunt, Yuu."

Kanda shrugged. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"You could still show some tact," Lavi added, though he wasn't offended by his coworker's words. They were true enough. He was more concerned for Allen and Lenalee and their bright red faces.

Allen cleared his throat and choose to ignore Lavi and Kanda for the moment. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok? Call me if you need anything."

Lenalee nodded, tucking the keys into her purse. "Don't worry, Allen. I can take care of myself."

At that, Lavi tugged on Allen's arm, pulling him towards the exit. "Bye you two. Have fun!" he called out before he and Allen disappeared into the crowd.

Once Allen and Lavi were out of eyesight, Kanda turned back to Lenalee. She was smiling at him, and his heart almost skipped a beat. He cleared his throat, then took a sip from his drink. "You probably want to go home, too."

Lenalee shook her head. "I'm fine right here… As long as you want to stay, too, that is."

Kanda paused for a moment, then smirked. "I'll get more drinks then," he said, standing up and heading to the bar.

Allen and Lavi were still pushing through the crowd of people, headed towards the exit in an attempt to get out of the bar. Lavi led the way, elbowing and sneaking through whatever gaps he could find, Allen in tow.

When the two finally reached the exit, Lavi sighed in relief. "Finally. I thought we would never get out of here."

As he reached for the door, however, Lavi paused, his hand held out to grab the doorknob, only to find a strange young girl in his way. He opened his mouth to say something, hoping to get past her, but the words died in his throat as a feminine voice echoed in his head.

"_I'll kill him again, Bookman. Soon."_

Before he could react to the girl, she disappeared, as if she were never there in the first place. He just stood there, hand outstretched. It was a few moments before he felt pressure on his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" Allen asked, curious as to his boyfriend's odd behavior. His hand rested on the redhead's shoulder as he peered up into Lavi's face.

"Did you see her?" Lavi asked, his voice sounding haunted.

"See who?"

Lavi took a breath, ready to explain what he saw and heard, but when he looked at Allen, it was obvious that the brunette hadn't seen anything. Lavi shook his head, rubbing a hand over his green eyes. "I must've had too much to drink," he stated, brushing off the incident. "Let's get out of here."

xXxXxXx

The night was cool and clear, a slight breeze drifting through the streets. The girl watched as Allen and Lavi pulled into the parking lot behind The Flame, heading up to the redhead's apartment. A smile tipped her lips upward, determination in her eyes.

She couldn't act yet. It was still too soon. She needed to get all the pieces in order, find the right moment to strike. She could wait. She had waited for a century – a few more days would be nothing.

She watched silently from across the street, hiding in the shadows of the buildings in an alleyway. Once the two were safely inside, she turned to her left and looked over her small shoulder.

"Akuma," she called, waiting for the monster to appear.

It did as told, following its master's command and slinking up behind her with a silent, deadly grace. The monster was like a snake, but arms much like a human's. It was only level two, but she knew the creature could handle the job she had for it.

"Watch Allen and Lavi. I want to know what they and their friends are doing at all times. Keep out of sight and don't draw any attention to yourself."

The snake-like Akuma hissed and did its best to bow to its master. "Yes, Road." The monster disappeared back into the shadows.

Road grinned, looking back at the bar, her golden eyes slipping up to the suddenly lighted windows of the apartment above. "Soon, exorcists. Soon you will relive the pain once more. I promise."

xXxXxXx

Lavi tossed his keys onto the coffee table and shrugged out of his black hoodie. Allen followed him in, kicking off his shoes and dropping his bag on a nearby chair. Allen watched Lavi, feeling slightly uneasy. He still couldn't quite get the image of the young girl out of his mind, and the redhead seemed on edge as well, though he wasn't sure as to the cause. The brunette followed him, determined to not let the strangeness of the night ruin the rest of the evening.

As Lavi kicked off his shoes, he felt two lithe arms sneak around his waist. Pushing away any intrusive, unwelcome thoughts on the strangeness of the night, Lavi smiled and grabbed Allen's wrists, turning around to face the brunette. "Awfully forward of you," he commented, pulling Allen closer, still holding the shorter man's wrists. "I haven't even been home for two minutes and you sneak up on me?"

Allen grinned back at the redhead. "What can I say?" he started, humor in his tone. "I don't like to wait."

Lavi laughed. "Well, then… I suppose I shouldn't keep you waiting." He swooped down and kissed Allen, their lips pressing insistently against each other. The kiss grew deeper, and Lavi started pushing the brunette towards the bedroom, their lips still locked together. Only after they passed through the doorway and Allen almost tripped over one of Lavi's discarded shoes did they break apart. Luckily, the redhead had a tight grip on Allen's arm, keeping him from falling into the minefield on the bedroom floor.

Allen laughed when he righted himself. "You really need to clean."

Lavi grinned. "Yeah, well you really need to be naked." Not wanting to waste another moment, he grabbed Allen's hips and tossed the shorter man over his shoulder amid embarrassed protests from Allen.

"Lavi! Put me down!" Allen cried out as he grabbed the back of Lavi's shirt to steady himself. He tried to wiggle free, but the redhead had a firm grip as he walked closer to the bed.

"If you say so," Lavi chuckled, then unceremoniously dropped Allen onto the disheveled bed, following after the brunette.

Allen landed with a slight bounce on the mattress. He grunted when he hit, his blue eyes squeezed shut. When he opened them, ready to berate his boyfriend for throwing him around like a sack of potatoes, Lavi was already on top of him with a smirk on his face. Allen's face broke out in a bright blush as he looked up at Lavi.

"That wasn't very nice," Allen managed to say, his blue eyes locked onto the green ones above him.

If it were possible, the smirk on Lavi's face grew. "I'm sorry, Allen," he started, his voice not apologetic in the least. "Here, let me make it up to you…" Leaning down, he planted gentle kisses on Allen's neck as his hands moved up his shirt.

Allen sighed softly and tilted his head back, his boyfriend alleviating him from his earlier distress. His hands slid around Lavi, pulling him closer as the redhead teased him. He could feel the familiar heat rising up inside him with every touch Lavi laid on his skin. This relationship had started fast, and Allen hadn't felt it slowing since their first night together. It wasn't like Allen to throw himself head first into something like this, but so far, he hadn't regretted it. Letting all his worries and thoughts from the day slip away, Allen melted under Lavi like ice cream in the sun. He couldn't help himself. Lavi had entranced him and there was no turning back now.

xXxXxXx

_The fighting was still echoing around him. Lavi could hear the clashing of weapons and shouts in the distance. His own body was racked with injuries and fatigued. Even as exhaustion was taking over him, he was rigid with fear. There were sobs choking his throat as he looked down at what was left of his lover._

"_La…vi…" Allen groaned out, trying to lift his hand up to the redhead's face. "I did it… The Earl. I…"_

"_Allen, don't talk, please!" Lavi pulled his jacket off and tried to staunch the bleeding with it. In no time, the fabric was soaked with Allen's blood. Tears were streaming down Lavi's face as he pressed his hands to Allen's chest in a futile effort to save him. The wound in his chest had nearly ripped him in two. It was a miracle the boy was still alive. A miracle, or perhaps, a curse. No one should have to live through this much agony._

_Lavi held the smaller boy's hand in his, pressing the blood stained appendage to his cheek. "Allen. Please… you have to make it. Please don't leave me - not like this." Allen's fingers were already ice cold. It sent a chill of terror down Lavi's spine._

"_I'm fine, Lavi…" Allen choked out, his voice gurgling as blood filled what was left of his lungs. "I won't… leave…" Allen's voice trailed off as his silver eyes unfocused, staring off past Lavi._

_In that moment, Lavi felt the last thread of his composure snap. His breath stilled in his throat. His heart stopped beating for just a moment. Allen's lifeless body lay sprawled on the ground in front of the redhead, surrounded by a pool of blood. It seeped into his pants where he knelt next to his friend. "No… Allen. Allen? Please, please, please! Wake up! Allen! I said wake up, goddammit!" Lavi shook the dead boy violently, sobbing as he called out his name._

_Lavi was stuck in his own broken world, the fighting going on behind him as distracting as the flap of a bird's wings. He held the bloody corpse, sobs shaking his body. "It should have been me," Lavi cried into Allen's torn jacket._

_As the redhead broke and cried against Allen's lifeless chest, a familiar, sadistic laugh echoed in his ears. "Oh, poor eyepatch," she cooed, her disembodied voice bouncing around the area._

_Though Lavi couldn't see her, he knew the voice instantly. With his eye red and still swimming in tears, he looked up and glared, Allen's blood streaked across his face. "Road."_

"_How does it feel?" she asked, her voice coming closer, but her body still out of sight. The words left her mouth like daggers, shooting towards Lavi with malice and anger. "How does it feel to have someone you love taken from you?"_

Lavi woke with a start, his green eyes wide with fright. It took him a moment to realize it was all a dream — no, a nightmare. His hand went straight to the sleeping figure next to him in the bed, feeling to make sure he was there. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he managed to gather his bearings, Lavi sighed and looked down at Allen's sleeping face. He could see and hear the brunette breathing and knew that everything was all right. Allen was right there next to him, alive.

He had never had a nightmare like that before. Hesitantly, Lavi pulled his hand away from Allen and rubbed his face. When he pulled his fingers away, he was surprised to find them wet. Tears still hung in his eyes and clung to his cheeks. Lavi took a deep breath in hopes of calming his nerves. Once he had his emotions under control, he slipped back under the blankets and curled up behind Allen. Lavi pulled the brunette close to his chest, one arm wrapping protectively around him as he buried his face in the back of his neck. Allen stirred slightly, mumbling in his sleep. Lavi squeezed him tighter, not wanting to let go. The unease from the nightmare hung around him like a black cloud, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.

_It was just a dream,_ Lavi told himself, over and over again.

It was just a dream.


	8. Chapter 8

_You and I, we're falling over straight lines_  
_Straight ahead, ignoring all the danger signs_  
_And it's something that I knew before_  
_I knew before, oh_

_In the dark, a supernova can't keep  
A burning sun from changing into something new_  
_And it's for the best, but the best for who?_  
_I wish I knew, oh_

_This is the sound of our heartbeat falling_  
_This is the sound of my love recalling_  
_This is the sound of the dogs, they're howling_  
_Calling to the moon_

_Darren Hayes — Explode_

_xXxXxXx_

The smell of dust and old books filled the air, making Allen pinch the bridge of his nose to hold back a sneeze. He had been working for nearly five hours when the dust and a lingering migraine started to get the better of him. The sneezing was bad enough, but the headache had grown massive and near unbearable. For the past week, Allen had had a continuous pain in his head, concentrated behind his left eye. It felt as if someone were stabbing it with a dull knife, and no amount of aspirin had managed to subdue it. As such, he had spent more time at home than he wanted, making an exception for work. He needed the money, but it was becoming clear that even money wasn't going to be much of an incentive anymore.

Allen rubbed at his eyes with his thumb and finger, sighing softly as he held onto the pile of books in the crook of his other arm. This was ridiculous. He needed to rest. Heading to the back room, Allen put the unsorted books in storage and went back out to find his boss. He needed to leave.

Up at the front register, Allen spied his boss, Miriam. She was sorting through a stack of book order receipts when she noticed the brunette walking towards her.

"Oh, Allen. You look like death warmed over," she commented, tucking the pile of papers away under the counter.

Allen managed an embarrassed smile. Did he really look so awful? "I was wondering if I could leave early today? I'm not feeling well."

Miriam gave her employee a look of pity. "Sure. Go ahead. There isn't much to do today anyway."

"Thanks, Miriam," Allen said with a relieved sigh. He headed to the back room to grab his jacket. The silence of the back room was welcome as he pulled out his phone. There was only one other person he wanted to call for help. He needed a ride home, as Lenalee had the van, and there was no way he would make it if he walked.

xXxXxXx

"Goddammit, Lavi!" Kanda growled, his teeth gnashing together as he fought to keep the pitchers of beer from spilling all over him. "Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, sorry," Lavi called. He had nearly bowled Kanda over reaching for his ringing phone, which had been tucked under the bar.

Kanda gave the redhead a dark glare before heading on his way to the table of men awaiting their booze.

When Lavi picked up the cell, he saw who was calling. With a smile, he answered. "Hey, cutie. What's up?"

There was a huff of exasperation over the phone before Allen spoke up. "_Are you busy?"_

Lavi balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear as he wiped some unknown, sticky substance from his hands. "Not really. Do you need something?"

"_I need a ride from work."_

Lavi glanced out at the bar. There were only a few people at the tables and it looked like Kanda could handle it on his own for a while. "Sure. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Allen's sigh was audible over the line. "_Thanks, Lavi. You're a lifesaver."_

Lavi smiled, already pulling off his apron. "Hey, it's no problem. I'll be there in a flash. See you soon."

"_Bye,"_ Allen replied, and they both hung up.

Lavi was just tucking his phone into his back pocket when Kanda returned to the bar. The black haired man frowned. "You're ditching, aren't you?"

"Sorry, Yuu," Lavi said dropping his apron into the dirty towel bin. "Allen needs a ride."

"Tch, that beansprout is still sick? You sure know how to pick 'em," Kanda grumbled as he dropped some dirty glasses in the dishwasher.

Lavi said nothing as he grabbed his keys from under the bar and checked that he had his wallet. Once he knew he had everything he needed, he headed towards the door. "Keep the place from burning down until I get back," he called to Kanda as he left.

Kanda only scoffed.

xXxXxXx

Allen sighed, rubbing his shoulder. The muscles there and in his left arm were sore, which didn't help his splitting headache. As he stood on the street outside of the bookstore waiting for his boyfriend to show up, Allen could feel the stabbing pain behind his eye again. Everything was too much. The sun was too bright, the wind blew too hard, and all the cars and people passing by were far too loud.

Squinting against the bright afternoon sun, Allen peered down the road, hoping to see Lavi's car coming around the corner. All he wanted to do was curl up in bed with the shades drawn and sleep the pain away. He sighed again and closed his eyes, trying to alleviate the stress building up in his body.

Just as Allen was about to pull his phone out of his pocket to check the time, Lavi's car stopped in front of him. Relief swelled in Allen at the sight of his ride.

As Allen hopped in, Lavi smiled at him, waiting until the door closed to drive away. "Not feeling well again?" he started, his green eyes moving to the road.

Allen leaned back into the seat and groaned. "I feel like death."

"You kind of look it, too."

"Thanks a lot," Allen replied glumly.

Lavi hazarded a quick glance at Allen before speaking again. The poor musician looked worse for wear, and whatever was afflicting him was not getting better with time. "You want me to take you back to my place? Then I can take care of you. Make you soup or something."

"Nnn…" Allen grumbled, thinking over that option. "I don't know… I just want to rest."

"When is Lenalee done with work?"

"Late tonight, I think. Probably ten or eleven."

Lavi frowned. It was scarcely noon, and Allen wanted to spend all day and night alone in his apartment? "You shouldn't stay by yourself. What if you need something and can't get it? Just come back with me. I promise I'll be the best nurse you've ever had," Lavi suggested with a grin.

"My hero," Allen joked, deadpan, and covered his eyes with his right arm to keep the sun out. "All right. I'll go back with you."

Lavi just smiled and continued to drive, already planning out how he was going to pamper his poor, sick boyfriend.

They made it back to The Flame in less than ten minutes, and Lavi ushered Allen upstairs, managing to dodge the cranky Kanda and head up to the safety of his apartment. Allen kicked his shoes off in an lazy daze and left them near the door. He rubbed at his eyes as he walked into Lavi's bedroom. He could hear the redhead rooting around in the kitchen for something, but chose to ignore it and instead strip off his coat and flop onto the mattress.

Allen burrowed under the covers and threw Lavi's pillow over his face. The room was dark, but some light was still sneaking in through the curtains and the open bedroom door. At least the bed was comfortable, though he was already quite aware of how comfortable Lavi's bed was. After a few moments, the sounds in the kitchen ceased and he could hear footsteps coming closer.

The bed sunk down next to Allen's right hip and he felt a gentle hand on his stomach. "I brought you some ice water and some aspirin," Lavi said, his voice soft and concerned.

Allen pulled the pillow away from his face and looked up at the redhead before taking the offered drink and pills. He downed them in quick order, then sighed and lay back down. "Thanks."

Lavi gave a half smile as he watched Allen and took the empty glass from him, setting it on the nightstand. "Do you want anything to eat? I can make whatever you want."

"No, I'm fine for now. I just want to rest." He could feel the pain behind his eye increasing, the throbbing now a constant issue.

Lavi nodded, the leaned down and planted a light kiss on Allen's warm forehead. "I'm going back downstairs to get someone to cover my shift tonight. I'll be back up as soon as I can."

As Lavi stood up to leave, Allen called out. "Oh, wait. Could you call Lenalee for me and let her know where I am? I don't want her to worry."

"Sure. Just get some rest," Lavi replied, closing the bedroom door as he left.

Allen took a deep breath, willing the tension to leave his body. Snuggling down into the blankets some more, he covered his eyes and tried to get some rest.

xXxXxXx

Night fell, and glinting gold eyes watched the figures through the window. Its black blood boiled as it fought the urge to attack, however, its master had given it explicit instructions to not reveal his presence to the targets.

Even so, the instinct to kill was strong. The humans had a strange scent about them, one that was even more attractive than the other rabble on the lower level of the building. The desire to rip into their flesh was becoming harder and harder to resist. To distract itself and keep the killing instinct at bay, it focused on gripping the edge of the building it hid behind, and its scaly hands, tipped in sharp, poisonous claws, dug into the stonework.

The Akuma was not sure how much longer it could hold out.

xXxXxXx

Lenalee adjusted the strap of her purse over her shoulder as she entered the bar, her large, dark eyes scanning the room for a familiar face. As expected, she saw Kanda near the bar and made a beeline to him. She was only a few feet away when the long haired bartender noticed her.

"Hey," Kanda said as he handed off a drink to one of the people sitting at the counter. "Let me guess. You're here for the 'sprout?"

Lenalee nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Lavi called me at work and told me he was here. I just finished my shift, so I thought I'd check on him and bring him home, if he wanted."

Kanda wiped his hands on a towel and untied his apron. "I'll bring you upstairs," he said, leaving one of his coworkers in charge.

"Thanks."

xXxXxXx

Lavi watched with nervous green eyes as Allen groaned in his sleep. The younger man's face was screwed up in silent pain, but he hadn't woken once since he'd gone to sleep that afternoon. Lavi leaned against the door frame as he stared at Allen, his arms crossed and fingers tapping anxiously on his elbow. He was so engrossed in watching the brunette that he didn't hear the knocking on his door, or the sound of it opening.

"Hey, idiot," Kanda called out as he entered, having given up on waiting for response. "Why don't you actually answer your door?"

Lenalee entered behind Kanda, looking around the apartment. "Lavi, I've come to pick up Allen," she said in a tired, but cheerful tone.

Lavi sighed, and turned to face them, but didn't leave the bedroom doorway. "That might not be possible," he said, looking over his shoulder into the room.

"What?" Lenalee asked, as she and Kanda walked towards the redhead. "What are you talking about?"

"It's Allen. He hasn't woken up in nearly ten hours," Lavi answered, his face twisted in worry. He had been watching the brunette the entire time, and his muscles and limbs were tired from the constant stress.

"Are you kidding me?" Lenalee asked, pushing past Lavi and into the bedroom. There lay Allen, eyes closed and limbs twisted up in the bedsheets. A thick sheen of sweat covered his brow, and he groaned as he continued to writhe in his state of unconsciousness.

Kanda grimaced as he looked over his companions' shoulders at the young man in question. "Shit, he looks awful."

Lenalee rushed to the bed and pressed her fingers against Allen's sweaty forehead. Her breath caught in her throat as she pulled her hand away. "He's burning up. Did you give him anything?"

"Only a few aspirin and some water this afternoon. He hasn't been awake to take anything else since," Lavi answered, still hanging back by the door.

Lenalee shook Allen by the shoulders, trying to pull him out of his daze. "Allen? Allen, wake up." Nothing happened. The long haired woman looked back at Lavi and Kanda. "What should we do? Should we take him to the hospital?"

"I honestly don't know. I was hoping he would've woken up by now, but he hasn't reacted to anything. I even tried sticking an ice cube in his ear. Nothing works," Lavi explained, heaving a long and exhausted sigh. He looked down at Allen's pained face as he lay unconscious on the bed. It took all his strength just to remain as composed as he was, though he could tell his calm was beginning to crack. Even the presence of Lenalee and Kanda did not assuage his concern. He continued to stare at the brunette, wondering just what was afflicting him.

xXxXxXx

_Allen stood in a misty room, unable to see further than a few feet in front of him. His left eye and shoulder were in pain, but it was muted as he searched in the white, foggy room._

"_Hello?" Allen called out, wondering if anyone would even be around to hear him. There was no answer. Still unsure of himself, Allen hesitantly pushed forward, or at least what he assumed was forward, walking slowly through the misty white._

_Allen continued on the obscured path until he heard a strange voice calling to him. "Allen Walker," it called in its androgynous tone._

_He stopped, looking around for a moment, trying to find the source. "Yes?" he replied, unsure if talking back was the right course of action. Everything was ethereal, and Allen wasn't even sure if he was really here. So, what was the harm in talking to a disembodied voice?_

"_Allen Walker," it said again, the strange voice echoing around the cavernous white room._

_Allen paused and glanced around him again. A creeping unease slithered down his spine, setting him on edge. Shivering, Allen called out once more. "Who's there?" he asked, not sure if he even wanted an answer._

_The mist surrounding him began swirling, gradually gaining speed as is floated around Allen's body until the brunette felt as if he were in a hurricane. He pulled his arms up to protect his face and squeezed his eyes shut tight._

"_It comes," the voice said again, calm._

_Allen heard it as clearly as if it were his own thoughts, even with the deafening roar of wind in his ears. He cracked one blue eye open, hoping to see who was addressing him, but only saw the swirling fog. "What comes?"_

"_An old evil," the voice answered as the mist around him became thicker and twisted violently. "Fight it, Allen Walker. Protect the Innocence."_

_Allen opened his mouth to ask the voice what it was talking about, but as he did, the mist pressed in on him, as if it were as solid as he was. Allen choked and fell to his knees. Every breath he tried to take felt as if he were inhaling liquid instead of air. Clawing at his throat, he gasped for a sweet breath of air that would not come. Distracted, he didn't notice the hazy mist dissipating around him as it filled his lungs._

"_Remember," the voice called again, just as Allen passed out._

_White was replaced with darkness as Allen groaned on the ground. His left eye stung and his arm ached, though he couldn't see anything in the pitch black. The silence surrounding him was only interrupted by his labored breathing. Minutes passed, and Allen was certain he was alone._

_Without warning, images flooded his mind, as if projected in front of him on a screen. Allen saw things that looked familiar yet alien at the same time. He saw himself and his friends, everyone fighting and struggling to survive. __So many faces crossed his mind's eye, but although Allen could swear each name was on the tip of his tongue, he could not remember__. Things he knew hadn't happened to him, yet they had. It was confusing. How did these memories make sense, yet not?_

_Then the monsters – he saw them and his body went rigid. Each of them varied in shape and size, yet they were all the same. He saw himself fighting them, he saw his friends fighting alongside him. Battle upon battle fought, some friends not making it for the next. A lifetime of memories crashed into Allen in only a few minutes, leaving his mind a muddled mess. Still, one thing remained utterly clear, and he remembered what the voice had told him. He needed to fight it. It needed to be killed, to be set free._

_Akuma._

xXxXxXx

Lavi pinched the bridge of his nose and held in a sigh as he listened to Lenalee trying to wake his unconscious boyfriend. He had tried that multiple times already, and the growing unease in his chest skyrocketed now that Lenalee's worry was infecting his own. The one thing that remained steady was Kanda's grumpy indifference, which Lavi tried to hold onto like a life raft in choppy waters.

"I think we should take him to the hospital," Lenalee said, her dark eyes still watching Allen's pain ridden face.

"Why? So they can charge you to tell you they don't know what's wrong either? Don't waste your money," Kanda replied, his arms crossed over his chest a he leaned against the bedroom wall.

"We have to do something," Lenalee added, looking to Lavi, hoping he would back her up.

Sitting on the other side of the bed as Lenalee, Lavi felt the mattress give with his weight as he inspected Allen once more. He was about to try and shake him out of it, when something on the brunette's face caused him to pause. His green eyes narrowed as he looked at the skin around Allen's left eye. Above and below the eye, it looked as if something had scratched him. The skin was swollen and red, and Lavi knew it hadn't been like that earlier. "What the hell?" he mumbled, gently touching the lines scratched onto Allen's face.

Lenalee looked where Lavi indicated, and gasped as well. "Lavi, what is that?" she asked, leaning in closer to inspect the newly formed welts.

"I don't know. It wasn't there a moment ago," Lavi replied. Swallowing down his apprehension, he traced the lines with his fingers. He swore they were getting more defined, redder in color, even as mere seconds ticked by. Stranger still, Lavi knew he'd seen this mark before. He just knew he had…

Lenalee leaned in closer, her eyes wide with worry and curiosity. "Is… Is that a pentacle?"

Lavi pulled his fingers back and, sure enough, she was right. The marks above Allen's left eye were definitely in the shape of a pentacle. It was so familiar. Lavi's breath caught in his throat as vague images scattered across his mind, though he was unable to grasp at them. He pushed a hand into his bangs and pulled at his hair in frustration. "What the fuck is going on?"

As soon as the words left Lavi's mouth, the bedroom window burst open, shards of glass scattering over the floor and the bed. Lenalee cried out and fell off the bed as Lavi pitched forward over Allen to protect him from the debris. Kanda jumped back, eyes on the creature that just entered the room with a hiss. He watched the monster warily as Lenalee pushed herself back into Kanda's knees. When the glass settled, Lavi looked back, still hovering protectively over Allen's body. His green eyes widened and his body shook as he took in the monster in front of them.

The snake like creature had black and red scales, shining even in the dim light. Its body was thick and long, with a whip-like tail curling around and threatening to strike out at any moment. Its only appendages were two long, thick arms, each ending in dangerous-looking claws. The creature's head was hooded, much like a cobra, with glowing gold eyes and a fanged mouth. It looked at the cowering people in the room and laughed, hissing in the back of its throat.

"Master Road will be angry, but I can't pass up this feast," the snake creature announced, tail whipping behind it in anticipation.

Kanda helped Lenalee to her feet carefully, glaring at the monster in front of them. He was trying not to make a sudden move, in case the beast decided to attack, but tried to find the quickest exit to get them all out of there. Lenalee was trembling as she stood and once she regained her balance, Kanda held onto her with a steady arm. "What the fuck is that?" he asked in a low voice

Lenalee only shook her head, her words failing.

Lavi's back was to the beast, so he turned around, pulling Allen with him. The brunette was still unconscious, though he was fidgeting in his sleep more than before, as if the monster agitated him. The scar on Allen's face was only becoming more defined by the second, and Lavi could see some of the longer, deeper scar lines were bleeding. Swallowing down his fright, he backed himself and Allen to the head of the bed, trying to keep Allen safe and away from whatever the hell this thing was.

Kanda and Lenalee had a clear path to the door, but Lavi knew he and Allen wouldn't make it without substantial help. The redhead's eyes shifted towards the closet, his mind going over what he may or may not have hidden inside that he could use as a weapon. He could feel his pulse quicken with dread at the deadly potential of fighting this creature. His green eyes flicked over to Kanda, who caught his gaze.

Kanda's eyebrows knit in determination as he realized Lavi's plan.

The snake-like monster's forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air. "Mm, you humans smell so good." It moved closer, a hiss leaving its mouth.

Not ready to become snake food, Kanda pushed Lenalee towards the door, following right on her heels. "Run!" he shouted.

The monster shot after them, but its shoulders were too wide, and it got caught on the door frame. It hissed in annoyance as it tried to push itself through.

Taking his chance, Lavi left Allen curled up on the bed and darted to the closet. It only took him a second to find what he was looking for while the monster was distracted. Just as the snake was pulling itself up, Lavi jumped up on the bed and then back down, swinging the metal baseball bat and bashing the creature on the back of its hooded, scaly head.

Stunned, the monster fell to the ground, dazed from the hit. Lavi took that chance to rush back to Allen. He pulled the brunette over his shoulder and made a dash for door. Just as he crossed the threshold, the creature grabbed Lavi's ankle, tripping him and sending Allen flying off his shoulder and onto the floor. Lavi swung the bat again, but before it could hit its target, the snake blocked the blow with a beefy arm. It grabbed the bat and threw it out of range as it curled up onto Lavi, pinning him to the ground. Lavi struggled to break free, but the monster was too strong. It hissed loudly, eyes narrowing as it looked down at the redhead.

"You die first," it proclaimed, taloned claws digging into Lavi's arms. Lavi cried out, wincing as the snake squeezed him tighter with a powerful grip that threatened to break his bones.

"Let him go, asshole!" Kanda shouted, throwing a chair at the beast.

It was ready for another attack, and tossed the chair aside as if it were made of cardboard. Kanda was within reach, so the snake latched onto his shirt and sent the surly bartender flying across the room, crashing into one of the many bookshelves that lined the living room. Books and knickknacks toppled from the shelves and onto Kanda.

"Kanda!" Lenalee shouted, rushing to his side. She tried to help him up, but he stumbled on his feet, tripping on the fallen books.

"Don't worry. You'll all get your turns," the snake announced, focusing once more on Lavi. "Now, where were we?"

Lavi tried to pull away, but was once again held fast against the floor. The snake's jaw unhinged, opening wide. It was then that Lavi had the horrid realization that the monster intended to swallow him whole. He struggled harder, but each attempt to break free only left him bruised against the tight hold the monster had on him. The lines of razor sharp teeth bore down on the redhead. Unable to do anything else, he squeezed his eyes, not willing to see the end. He braced himself to be swallowed alive.

Just as Lavi's head was about to disappear into the creature's mouth, a great burst of white light blinded everyone in the room. Lavi heard Lenalee and Kanda cry out, then the weight pressing him into the floor suddenly vanished. Lavi tried to open his eyes, but the room was still far too bright. He sat up, holding out his hand to shield his eyes so he could see what was going on.

Lavi heard Allen before he could see him, and the power that radiated from the musician's voice was unlike anything he'd ever heard from him.

"I can see it," Allen said in a near trance like state, standing between the now wounded monster and Lavi. The snake writhed, its tail slashing about as it held onto its sliced arm, cradling it. Black blood oozed from the wound. "Your soul is crying for release."

The monster hissed angrily. "Exorcist! Master Road never said you were Exorcists!"

Lavi's eyes finally cleared enough for him to see. He'd been wondering where the hell the light was coming from, and was completely shocked to find that it was radiating from Allen. A brilliant, white cloak covered his boyfriend. Lavi leaned back against the wall in awe. Allen looked as if he had fallen straight from heaven, and the demonic creature in front of him was cowering away from his presence.

"Allen?" Lavi asked, confused and unsure of what was going on.

Allen didn't turn or acknowledge Lavi, instead staying focused on the monster. He lifted his left arm, and Lavi saw that it looked anything but normal. The whole arm was black, and Allen's fingers resembled long, sharp claws. The arm was the only dark thing about the young man, and Lavi swallowed as he listened to Allen speak again in the same commanding tone he had used earlier.

"I will save you, Akuma." Allen took a step towards the monster, calmly walking up to it with his left hand outstretched.

The Akuma backed away, any confidence it had draining completely away. "Stay back, Exorcist!"

Allen didn't listen and continued to walk forward, exuding tranquility.

Hissing again, the monster decided falling back was no longer an option. Taking a chance, it struck out, uninjured arm shooting towards Allen. With the grace of a cat, Allen dodged, and grabbed the Akuma, yanking it off balance and sending it toppling to the floor. Without another word, Allen sliced his black hand through the air and struck the monster square in the back, his sharpened fingers digging deeply into its flesh. The monster hissed in pain, writhing on the ground. As Allen pulled his hand back, the Akuma stiffened and turned to dust, dissipating right before everyone, as if it had only been a shared nightmare between the four friends.

"Rest in peace," Allen said quietly, then turned around to face Lavi.

The redhead gasped when he saw Allen from the front. The scarred flesh that had started to appear just before the attack had turned completely red, brightly marking out a pentacle on his forehead over his eye. Allen's brown hair had turned white, and his blue eyes had followed suit. Allen continued to glow with an otherworldly presence as Lavi stared, his jaw nearly hanging down to the ground. "Allen? Allen, what's going on?"

Allen smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. With a breath, Allen finally spoke to the redhead. "Lavi… I've missed you," he said, his silver eyes tearing up slightly.

Lavi blinked, more confused now than ever. Seeing Allen's tears made Lavi's chest ache with sympathy, but before he could respond to the now white haired man, Allen collapsed onto the floor in a dead faint.


	9. Chapter 9

_Deep into the water_  
_Deep into the dark_  
_Deep into the places_  
_Stories have to start_  
_Peel open the layers_  
_Go in for the kill_  
_Bite into the onion_  
_Taste it for the thrill_

_Got a fear of falling under_  
_Underneath the dream_  
_A fear of diving too deep_  
_Deep beneath the seams_  
_A fear of falling under_  
_Underneath the spell_  
_A fear of what the truth sees_  
_Secrets I will tell_

_Darren Hayes — A Fear of Falling Under_

xXxXxXx

Allen groaned as he opened his eyes, the bedroom light shining brightly enough to nearly blind him. He could hear people scuffling around the bedroom and the living room as well, but was too drowsy to make out what was going on. His vision was blurry, not to mention the blankets tucked around his shoulders were obscuring most of the room. "Lavi?" he asked, his voice more hoarse than he was expecting.

At the sound of the call, Lavi replied instantly. "Allen! You're awake!" the redhead exclaimed, pouncing on Allen until his face was all the younger man could see.

Allen chuckled, then reluctantly pulled himself up off the mattress, his entire body feeling like lead. "Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I was more tired than I…" Allen trailed off as his eyes captured the scene before him.

The bedroom window was broken and temporarily fixed with old cardboard boxes from the bar flattened out and taped against it. Glass littered the floor and Lavi had been cleaning it up until Allen stole his attention away from the task. He could also hear sweeping and Kanda and Lenalee's voices in the living room.

Allen's eyebrows knit together in concern. "What's going on? What happened?" he asked.

Lavi blinked, confused. He stared at Allen for a long moment before replying. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what? I've just been asleep."

Lavi shook his head. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Allen thought back. "I took some aspirin and water and went to sleep."

Lavi opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by Kanda and Lenalee peeking into the room.

"Allen, are you feeling ok?" Lenalee asked, her eyes awash with concern as she held onto the door frame, almost as if she had been afraid to cross the threshold.

"Beansprout, you have some explaining to do."

Allen huffed and pushed the blankets away from him, making it easier to get up off the bed. He spent enough time sleeping for one day. "I don't know what you're—" When he pulled his left arm from under the blankets, Allen's words died in his throat. He simply stared for a moment, looking at the discolored appendage. The entire arm was black, and the fingernails were discolored as well. This was not how he had fallen to sleep— it had to be a practical joke. He laughed, even as he broke out in a nervous sweat. "Ok, guys. Funny. Real funny. What did you do, paint my arm?"

There was a silence that lasted a little too long for Allen's comfort. He looked to Lenalee and Kanda, then to Lavi. They all looked worried. Shaking his head, he licked the thumb on his right hand and tried to rub whatever was on his skin off, but no matter how hard he scrubbed it wouldn't come off. "Ok, I take it back. This isn't funny."

Allen got up off the bed and headed to the bathroom, a buzzing panic settling into his chest. Allen swallowed down his unease, doing his best to ignore it.

Lavi followed him quickly, hopping off the bed and trailing right behind the musician. "Allen wait—"

"Seriously," Allen replied, as he walked. He turned the light on in the bathroom and moved towards the sink. "Don't you all have better things to do than play pranks on…"

Allen looked at the mirror and any other words died in his throat. It wasn't just his arm that was different. His previously brown hair was now a stark white, as if the color had completely drained out of it. His eyes, which had been blue, were now a dull silver. Worst yet, across his left eye, a hideous red scar scraped over his flesh, starting as a red pentacle on his forehead, then slashing down across his eye and ending on his cheek. Whatever they did to him, this wasn't a joke. This was cruel.

Allen pulled at his hair, thinking some kind of hair spray or paint would come off, but the color remained. He quickly turned on the faucet in the sink, knocking over a hairbrush on the floor in his hurried state. Splashing water on his face, he scrubbed at his forehead and cheek, but the mark wouldn't leave. Even after he rubbed a towel for nearly a minute straight on his skin, the new marks remained unchanged. Allen stared at his reflection, his fingers gripping the towel in his hands as he looked back at a stranger.

Lavi watched with anguish in his green eyes as Allen took in the bizarre changes. Hesitantly, he reached out to his boyfriend, hoping to calm him. "Allen…" he said, but the younger man flinched away.

Allen turned on Lavi, anger in his silver eyes. "What did you do?!" he cried out, confused and distressed.

Lavi took a step back. He had known Allen would be upset, but he didn't realize he would react so violently. "Allen, I didn't do anything." Lavi's voice was soft, but on the verge of cracking. Seeing Allen so ruffled and without his usual composed personality was breaking Lavi, and the redhead wasn't sure what he could do to help him.

"Then what happened? Why do I look like this?!" Tears finally broke past his eyelashes and poured over his red cheeks. Allen sank down, his back resting against the tiled wall of the bathroom and the outer edge of the tub. The cool surface bit into his skin and Allen squeezed the towel in his hands tighter, pushing himself back into the corner. He stared at his now unmatched hands, his body trembling as he pulled his legs up and pressed them close to his chest.

"You don't remember?" Lavi asked, following Allen down to the floor. He moved towards him slowly. "Allen, you were asleep until that thing attacked us. Then you woke up and killed it."

Allen's silver eyes shot up and stared harshly at Lavi. "What are you talking about? I only just woke up."

"No, you didn't," Lavi countered, though his voice was still gentle, as if he were talking to a wounded animal and trying to gain its acceptance to help.

Allen was about to speak up again, but he was interrupted by Lenalee and Kanda, who had finally followed them into the bathroom. "It's true, Allen," Lenalee started, her face somber and her hands folded in front of her. "We all saw it."

Kanda was less reserved than Lenalee or Lavi. "Look, 'sprout. What the hell was that monster all about? You sure as hell seemed to know what it was, and took care of it easily enough."

Lavi turned back to glare at Kanda. "Yuu, calm down."

This only added fuel to Kanda's tirade. "Calm down?!" he shouted back, his hands balling up into fists as he glared at both Allen and Lavi. "How the hell am I supposed to be calm when there are snake monsters jumping through windows and trying to kill us!? And then he just gets up and turns it into dust like it was nothing!"

"Yeah, well, screaming about it isn't going to help anything, now is it?" Lavi countered.

Feeling completely overwhelmed, Allen snapped, nearly ripping the towel in his hands apart. "Will someone just tell me what is going on?!"

Lavi sighed and gave one more glare to Kanda before turning back to Allen. "You went to sleep in the afternoon - that's the last thing you remember, right?"

Allen nodded, swallowing down his worries as he let Lavi continue to fill in the blanks. "You weren't waking up. It was after eleven and neither me nor Lenalee could get you up. You were out cold and looked to be in pain. We were just about to take you to the hospital when… it jumped through the window."

"It?" Allen asked, wanting clarification.

"The monster," Kanda elaborated. "You called it an Akuma."

Lavi continued where he left off. "Well, it attacked us, said its master would be mad. I hit it with a baseball bat, then tried to get us both out of the apartment, but it caught me."

"Kanda hit it with a chair and tried to get it off of him, but it didn't work," Lenalee added, her dark eyes still shining with worry and unease. "It was about to eat Lavi whole, but you stopped it."

"I did?" Allen asked, completely flummoxed.

"You woke up then, glowing white. You had on this cape thing… with a mask. And this was when you changed," Lavi described, trying to remember every detail. "And your hand, it turned into a claw. You killed the monster, like it was nothing."

Allen's eyes stared into Lavi's as the redhead told the tale. Everything he was saying sounded impossible, but with all three of his friends collaborating the story, it was harder and harder to not believe them.

"And then what happened?"

Lavi took a breath before he explained the rest. "The monster turned to dust, like Kanda said. Just dust. Then you fell unconscious, the mask and cape disappeared, and your arm reverted to this state. We've been cleaning up the apartment since then."

Allen rubbed his eyes, trying to take in all of the information Lavi was giving him and attempting to make some sense out of it. As his friends described the scenes, he felt a lingering connection to the events, like he should remember them, but they were locked away in his mind somewhere and he didn't have the right key. Something else was surfacing as well, a strange dream that he could only vaguely remember…

"Well? Do you know _anything_ about it?" Kanda asked, impatiently.

Allen shook his head, still deep in thought. He stared at the tiles on the floor, listless. He tried hard to remember, but he could only get flashes of images in his head. They felt like dreams, so unreal, but were they actually…?

Kanda rolled his eyes. "Of course." He left the bathroom entryway and returned to the living room, grumbling about still having a mess to take care of. Lenalee followed the impatient bartender, leaving Lavi and Allen alone in the bathroom.

Finding Allen slightly more calm than he had been moments ago, Lavi moved closer to the white haired man. He set his hand on Allen's knee with a soft, gentle touch, watching him carefully. "It's ok, Allen. We'll figure it out."

Allen sighed, still not looking back at Lavi. "Did… Was that monster really going to kill you?" For some reason, Allen could picture the scene in his head, and it set his blood on fire for Lavi to be in such danger.

Lavi sat for a moment, saying nothing. Then, he pushed up the sleeves of his shirt. Allen's eyes flicked up to see the black and purple bruises that ringed his arms and his breath caught in his throat. "It was about to swallow me whole, like a real snake would a mouse," Lavi explained, more calmly that Allen thought was reasonable considering the circumstance. "But you stopped it."

Allen's silver eyes teared up again at the thought of such a fate befalling Lavi. Without another thought, he threw his arms around the redhead and pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face into Lavi's neck. He felt Lavi stiffen under his touch, but only for a moment before quickly relaxing and returning the embrace.

"I'm sorry, Lavi. I'm so sorry," Allen cried, overflowing with emotion.

"Hey, it's ok. I'm fine," Lavi replied, rubbing Allen's back in gentle strokes.

Allen cried for a few moments, trying to keep from sobbing openly. He didn't want Kanda or Lenalee to hear him. Hell, he didn't even want Lavi to see him like this, but he couldn't hold back anymore.

"I don't know what's happening. I just… I keep having weird dreams, and now this?" He looked at his deformed arm as his chin rested on Lavi's shoulder and fought back more tears. "I don't know what to do."

When Allen mentioned dreams, Lavi pulled back from the hug. "You… You've been having weird dreams, too?" he asked, looking into Allen's puffy, red face.

Allen blinked, taken back by Lavi's words. "Yeah, for nearly two months now," he replied, his voice low and suddenly filled with surprise. When he thought about it, the dreams started not too long after he and Lenalee moved into town, specifically after they started playing at The Flame.

"So have I," Lavi replied, his voice low, as if he were afraid that the others would hear him. "Ever since… Ever since we met."

Allen's silver eyes widened slightly. "That's so weird," he admitted, still not believing what he was hearing.

Lavi managed a chuckle, though his heart wasn't completely into it. "Well, there's a lot about tonight that's weird," he added in, trying his best to lighten the mood.

"What kind of dreams have you had?" Allen asked, watching Lavi pensively.

Lavi thought back on it, and realized he'd had a myriad of different dreams with Allen, some strange and some less so. As his mind sifted through all the different ones, a realization hit him. He looked up at Allen and studied the changes in his face.

"Actually," he began, "In all of my dreams, you looked like this." Lavi raised his hand and let his fingers stroke Allen's left cheek.

Allen blinked, taken aback by the admission. "I did?" he asked, looking down at his transformed hand again. It was strange enough that his body suddenly changed like it had, but that Lavi had dreamed of him in this state weirded him out even more. Was the redhead psychic somehow and had seen this happening? Or was something else at play? He thought back on his own dreams and tried to recall Lavi in them, and if something had been different. His silver eyes widened in surprise. "Come to think of it, you were different in my dreams as well. You had an eye-patch."

"Yeah? That's it? Man, why can't I get a cool arm that kills monsters, too? I'm just a pirate!" He chuckled a bit, then pushed himself off of the bathroom floor. He stretched out his arm and took Allen's hand in his.

"C'mon. Let's get off this cold floor. I should help Kanda and Lenalee finish cleaning up the mess and you should rest."

Allen let the redhead pull him up to his feet. He swayed a bit, still out of sorts from the night. "No, let me help. I've rested enough for today."

"Are you sure?" Lavi asked as they walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. His green eyes were filled with concern. Lavi looked over Allen as if he were making sure the white haired man's assessment was accurate.

Allen smiled up at Lavi, as best he could while his heart and mind were still in turmoil. So much had happened tonight, but he knew that keeping his body busy would help him clear his mind and not dwell on things that couldn't be figured out at the moment. "Yes, Lavi. I'm sure."

With a soft sigh, Lavi conceded. His eyes still on Allen, he felt a sudden overwhelming desire to comfort his boyfriend. Even with a smile on Allen's face, it didn't reach his eyes.

Leaning down, he pulled Allen close and kissed him deeply. The white haired man seemed surprised at first, stiffening in Lavi's arms, but quickly melted and returned the sweet gesture. As the kiss ended, Lavi pulled Allen closer, nuzzling his face in the now white hair.

"Don't worry, Allen. Everything will be ok," he assured him, kissing the top of Allen's head.

Allen's lips twitched into the ghosting of a true smile as he lay pressed up against Lavi's chest. "Thank you, Lavi," he replied softly. Allen wouldn't have minded staying in the redhead's arms for the rest of the night, but, unfortunately, luck was not on his side.

"Christ," Kanda shouted from the living room, "Would you two idiots stop being gay for two seconds and help us?!"

"Kanda!" Lenalee exclaimed back, sounding shocked at the outburst.

"What?" Kanda replied, indignant. "They should get a room!"

"They _are _in a room."

Kanda paused, but only for a second. "Well, at least close the damn door!"

Lavi laughed, Allen still in his arms. "Fine, Yuu! We'll stop annoying you with our love. What do you two need help with?" Lavi walked into the living room, leaving Allen to help with the rest of the clean up.

Allen stood back for a moment, Lavi's words ringing in his ears. Love. Did he say love? The tiny smile on Allen's face grew. They hadn't used that word to describe their relationship. He hid his grinning lips behind his hand for a moment.

"Allen? Are you all right?" Lenalee called from the living room.

The white haired musician shook out of his thoughts at the call. "Yes, I'm fine." He joined them all out into the living room. "So, what needs cleaning?"

xXxXxXx

The hour neared 2:00 AM and Allen sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead. They had finally finished cleaning up the mess in Lavi's apartment and everyone was tired. Even so, the odd events of the night had shaken everyone to the core. Sleeping was far from Allen's mind, but he also felt as if his whole body were dragging, needing more rest. Perhaps it was from whatever this transformation was that he went through, or maybe just the events of the day as a whole. Either way, he was tired and he needed to go to bed.

"Thanks for helping me clean, guys," Lavi said, dumping the last dustpan full of broken glass into the garbage in the kitchen. "I would've been up all night if I did it myself."

"It's not a problem, Lavi," Lenalee replied as she set the last of the misplaced books back on the shelves in the living room. "As it is, I don't really want to go outside. I mean, what if there are more of those things out there?"

Everyone in the room shuddered at the comment. Lenalee wasn't alone in her concern and they all knew it. Lavi looked over to Allen. He wanted his boyfriend to stay the night, but that left Lenalee on her own if she went back to their apartment, which didn't sit well with Lavi. Hell, even having Kanda split to his own place set Lavi on edge.

"Maybe we should all stay here for tonight?" Lavi offered, walking back into the living room. "I mean, Allen seemed to take care of that monster easily. If another one does try to attack, wouldn't it make sense to stick together?"

Allen scratched the back of his neck. "I did want to stay here," he admitted, blushing a bit. The red on his face was even more pronounced now that his hair and eyes lacked any color to compensate.

"If you're staying here Allen, then I want to as well," Lenalee replied. "As long as it's fine with Lavi, that is. I just don't want to go back to an empty apartment."

"It's fine, Lenalee," Lavi assured her, even if he'd already let her know he didn't mind at all. The redhead turned to Kanda. "What about you, Yuu? I've got room for everyone."

"Tch, fine. I might as well," Kanda agreed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"All right! It's settled! Sleepover!" Lavi exclaimed, hoping to lighten the mood, if even just a bit.

Kanda sighed, kicking off his shoes and resigning himself to dealing with the redhead for the foreseeable future. "What are you? A twelve year old girl?"

Lenalee laughed. "If this is a slumber party, then we should braid your hair, Kanda."

"I don't think so," the surly bartender replied, huffing as he flopped into an unclaimed chair.

Lavi chuckled, enjoying teasing Kanda. "I'll get the extra bedding," he said, disappearing into the bedroom once more.

The late hour left everyone exhausted. Once Lavi pulled out the bed in the couch and gave Kanda and Lenalee each a set of blankets and pillows, he and Allen retired to the bedroom, ready for sleep. Kanda took the recliner as his bed for the night, leaving Lenalee the pullout sofa. As she straightened out the sheets on the flimsy mattress, she sighed.

"Kanda, are you sure you don't want the couch. I mean, I am perfectly fine using the—"

"I said you could have it," he replied, already lounging in the blue cushions of the chair. He had a bright yellow blanket haphazardly thrown over his legs and an obnoxiously orange pillow under his head.

"Are you sure?" Lenalee asked again, holding onto the pillow Lavi had given her to her chest.

"Yes," Kanda answered, his eyes closed against the last light left on in the living room.

Lenalee sighed, feeling silly for taking the whole couch to herself. "All right." She tried to find a comfortable place on the lumpy mattress to sleep without making too much noise, but each movement made the old springs squeak and groan. She turned the light out and settled into bed.

Once she settled down, Kanda sighed, trying to get some rest. Even if they all had had a hectic night, they still needed sleep. There was no point in asking Allen any more questions, as the beansprout seemed even more confused about what happened than they did. That only left them to wait and see what happened. Kanda wasn't about to put more effort into it, only to have it wasted.

Sleep slowly pulled Kanda under, but just as he was close to blissful unconsciousness, the groan of old bed springs on the foldout couch ripped him back to reality. His eyebrows twitched in annoyance. He could hear each shuffle Lenalee made. She would sigh and turn, staying still for a few minutes, and as soon as Kanda thought he might get to sleep, the woman twisted once more, leaving his ears ringing with the squeaks and the shuffling.

After nearly twenty minutes of this game, he finally spoke up. "Lenalee," he said, his voice deep and perturbed.

Lenalee sighed. "I'm sorry. I can't sleep."

"I noticed."

She sighed again, exhaustion obvious in her voice. "I keep thinking about that monster."

Kanda didn't say anything to that. He simply listened to her uneven breathing in the dark. He would be lying if he said the monster hadn't scared the piss out of him, so he didn't blame her for being uneasy.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I don't want to keep you up."

"It's ok."

Silence fell between them once more. Lenalee lay on her back and stared at the dark ceiling of the unfamiliar apartment. She wished that she had gone back to her own apartment, even if she would have been alone. At least then she would've been comfortable. The room was so quiet, aside from the old refrigerator running in the kitchen. Lenalee swallowed, her ears straining to hear anything else in the night. She knew she was being paranoid, but she couldn't help it.

Turning to her side, she pulled the pillow into her chest. "Kanda?" she called out softly, not sure if he finally made it to sleep or not.

"What?" he asked, less exasperated than before. Knowing how nervous she was made his annoyance lessen dramatically.

She paused for a long moment, wondering if she should even ask what she was thinking. Was it crossing a boundary? She bit her lip, still staring up at the dark ceiling. She had already spoken up — it was too late to take back her call. "Would… Would it be a problem if you slept on the couch with me?"

Kanda's half lidded eyes shot open at her question. He was thankful for the darkness that surrounded them then, because he knew the blush on his face couldn't be hidden otherwise. "Uh, you want me to?"

Lenalee fidgeted again, the springs squeaking. Kanda could hear her take a few nervous breaths before speaking. "It's just… I don't like sleeping alone when I'm upset." She swallowed after speaking, her throat tight.

Kanda lay still in the recliner for a long moment, contemplating her request. It was clear how scared she was, and he knew he was as well — he just hid it better than she did, even better than his idiot boss or the beansprout. It wasn't as if he had been opposed to sharing the couch with her, but the idea left his mind with more impure thoughts than he wanted to deal with at the moment. He'd done well to hide his growing affection for the musician for weeks, but there was only so much he could do to keep his feelings at bay.

Still, she sounded desperate. He doubted she would be able to sleep even after the sun rose in the morning, which meant _he_ wouldn't be sleeping either, especially if she kept tossing and turning. With a sigh, he grabbed his pillow and blanket and awkwardly maneuvered in the dark to the pullout couch. "Fine, if it'll get you to sleep," he replied, a little harsher than he meant to. He didn't like being in compromising situations, and having Lenalee sleeping next to him felt extremely compromising. He found the couch easily enough, and felt around to make sure he wasn't in her way.

Lenalee had scooted over to give Kanda plenty of room. "Thank you," she mumbled softly, pulling her blanket up as Kanda settled in.

The springs groaned with the added weight until the tired bartender found the most comfortable spot he could. He lay on his back, tossing the pillow behind his head and letting the blanket only half cover him, too lazy and strung out to care where it fell. "You're welcome. Now, go to sleep."

Lenalee said nothing, however, a small smile graced her lips. She pulled her pillow close and curled up on her side. Gently, she rested her forehead against Kanda's shoulder. The feel of his warm skin set her at ease. She could smell him, sweat and something earthy that calmed her nerves. He tensed up slightly at her touch, but relaxed quickly after. Lenalee closed her eyes and finally found some peace in the night.

xXxXxXx

"Useless!" Road screamed, tossing her umbrella across the room, the sharpened tip impaling into the wall. She huffed and took ragged breaths, trying to regain her composure. The akuma had deliberately disobeyed her orders! Now, those damned exorcists knew what was going on. She needed more time before she could gather enough strength to deal with them properly. Instead, the foolish akuma managed to trigger Allen's innocence. She didn't even realize they could still summon their innocence after being reborn. It was a troubling development, and one she would have to make sure didn't spread.

She had a few other akuma left over from before the Noahs' fall, and since she had no way to create more, she would have to make sure to use them wisely. If the other former exorcists managed to regain their previous powers and unlock their innocence, she would have a difficult time dealing with them. Allen was trouble enough.

Road took a deep breath and pushed back her dark blue bangs away from her face. She could deal with this. She still had the advantage. From what she had observed, Allen had no real control over his powers. Timing would be everything. She would need to strike while everyone was separated. And if she had any hopes of controlling her remaining supply of akuma, the monsters would need to feed.

Decision made, Road began to regain her lost calm. She had waited many years to exact her revenge. Another week wouldn't hurt anything.

Yes, she could wait.


	10. Chapter 10

_In a world so cynical  
You came in and changed the ball  
From black to white  
And made me right  
This is all atypical  
No one else has had the time  
To read signs  
You are the only one_

No one else can keep me from  
The danger of myself  
You keep me stronger  
You are the only one

And now I love you even more  
Than I did before

Darren Hayes — The Only One

xXxXxXx

_There was fighting, so much fighting. The scenes whirled in Allen's mind in an instant, but he could see each one in perfect detail as if he had been reliving them. He saw the tower on the cliff, dark and foreboding, but filled with friends. Allen saw his friends, but he also saw the monsters. He saw Kanda, cranky as always, fighting against the demons with a glowing sword. He saw Lenalee fly though the sky, strong and fast, destroying anything and anyone who would hurt her friends. He saw Lavi, with one eye and a charming grin, smashing those same demons into pieces with a hammer that defied gravity._

_These images, they flickered through his mind, as if he had been looking at scrapbook of days gone past. He longed to see more of his comrades, but the images grew dark. Allen wanted to look away, but he couldn't. Demons upon demons fought them. People died; friends died. The lump in Allen's throat grew. Then the girl was there, the one he knew from somewhere. The girl with spiky blue hair looked at him with her golden eyes._

"_Allen, it's time to play."_

Allen's silver eyes shot open and he instantly regretted the action. Light poured in from the unbroken window, leaving him wincing and rolling over in the bed. He groaned and tried to see again, eyes cracking open slower this time around.

A chuckle from across the room alerted the white haired man that he wasn't alone. "Mornin' sleepy head," Lavi said, his voice a low whisper.

Allen sat up, sheets crumpling up around his hips as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. As he scanned the room, he found Lavi sitting on an ottoman next to the window. The shades were pulled up and he was using the natural light to look at a ratty notepad in his lap. A yellow pencil twirled between his fingers as he turned his attention to his boyfriend.

Allen realized it was much too late to be early morning, considering the brightness of the sun. "What time is it?" he asked, pulling himself out of bed slowly and making his way to Lavi.

"Almost ten," he replied, green eyes moving back to the notepad in front of him. He sketched again, the sound of the lead on the paper the only thing disturbing the quiet of the room.

"Why are you awake?" Allen asked, tip toeing over to him.

"Couldn't sleep once the sun was up," Lavi admitted. "Plus I had to call someone in to work at the bar. I'm not fit to do so today."

Allen nodded, understanding. He was glad he had the day off from work as well. He had no idea how he was going to explain his dramatic physical changes to his boss. Maybe he could say it was a new style for the band? He sighed, knowing that explanation was flimsy at best. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Shaking his head, he looked down at what Lavi was preoccupied with. "What are you doing?" he asked, resting his chin on Lavi's shoulder as the redhead worked.

"Since I couldn't sleep, I decided to draw. I haven't in a long time."

"Have you been drawing since morning?" Allen asked, a little surprised. He had no idea Lavi was artistically gifted.

"Yeah," Lavi replied, still sketching. "I just couldn't put the pencil down. Here — Look." He had to force himself to give the notebook to Allen. Parting pencil from the page was more painful than it should have been, but he knew he had to stop before his hand cramped up. He stretched his fingers as Allen turned the pages over and over.

"Lavi, these are _really_ good. How come you never told me you could draw like this?" Allen thumbed through the sketches. There were things he recognized on each page, and some that were only vaguely familiar. He saw drawings of Kanda, Lenalee, and some other weird things that he didn't recognize, but mostly there were drawings of him. One particularly beautiful sketch was of him sleeping in Lavi's bed. Allen's lips twitched into a smile. "Were you drawing me sleeping?"

"Maybe a little," Lavi admitted with a smirk that turned into a yawn.

Allen skimmed through the pages, taking each one in carefully. He paused on one that looked like him. The angles to the face were the same as his, as well as the build and eyes. He was in a black uniform, with an intricate star over the left breast. Lavi had drawn Allen as he was now, scar and all. The picture was meticulous. He smiled as he realized that most of the sketches Lavi drew of him were more thought out and detailed than the others. There was even a little winged creature that floated near his head in the drawing.

As he turned to the next page, he felt his heart stop. It was the girl, the one he had seen in his dreams – the same one that had appeared to him at the club and had disappeared without a trace. Allen could remember her words from then, clear as day. _It's almost time to play again, Allen. You and your exorcist friends._ He shivered as his fingers gripped the notebook a little tighter. He didn't like that girl.

Lavi noticed the shift in mood and looked down at the page, checking to see what Allen was staring at. "Oh, yeah. That one. Creepy, isn't she?" He stood up to stretch his back and arms, not realizing how long he had been crouched up on the ottoman.

"I've seen her before."

"What?" Lavi asked, suddenly startled. "Where?"

Allen scrutinized the drawing for a moment longer, making sure he wasn't mistaken. "Yeah, I've seen her. I saw her at Lime Rocket when Lenalee and I played there and I…" he trailed off, feeling weird admitting his next words. "I saw her in my dreams last night." He handed the notebook back to Lavi, suddenly feeling uneasy.

_Allen, it's time to play._

The white haired man shivered as he remembered her words.

Lavi looked down at the picture. The girl had spiky hair and strange scarring on her forehead. "I saw her that night, too," he admitted, his fingers sliding over the edge of the paper. "At the club, just before we left." The incident had left Lavi feeling uneasy the entire night, and he had tried to put it out of his mind. The picture was proof enough that he couldn't scrub the memory completely away.

Allen sat back on the edge of the bed, trying to process the flood of information coming at him. It was as if they had parts of a puzzle, but no idea how to piece them together. "Do you know who she is?"

Lavi stared at picture for a long moment, a frown marring his face as he did so. "I feel like I should." After a moment, he tossed the notebook aside and rubbed his hands over his face. He had quite enough thinking about the strange occurrences. "Ok, enough of this. Let's get some breakfast and wake up the others."

Allen managed a smile and watched as Lavi pulled on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers. Quietly, he followed the redhead into the living room. Before he could take two steps past the threshold, Allen bumped into Lavi, who stopped abruptly in front of the door. Allen winced and rubbed his nose, then stepped around the redhead. Just as he was about to ask Lavi why he was standing there, Allen caught sight of what held Lavi's green eyes captivated.

During the night, Kanda and Lenalee had both ended up on the pullout couch. Kanda lay on his back, one arm resting over his eyes to block out the light. Lenalee was curled up next to his side, her head resting on his chest and her long, dark hair covering her face. Kanda's other arm was lazily wrapped around her shoulder as they both slept.

Lavi retreated back into the bedroom for a moment. Before Allen could question the redhead's disappearance, Lavi returned with his phone in hand. He quickly snapped photos of their two unconscious friends.

Allen sighed. "You shouldn't take pictures of sleeping people," he reprimanded him.

"You do when they are so fucking cute you can't stand it," Lavi added in, taking more photos with a grin.

Their banter finally roused Kanda, and when he realized his boss was taking photos, his glare was enough to freeze the sun. "You're dead," was all he said, though he didn't make a move to get up as Lenalee still had him half pinned to the bed.

"Aw, c'mon Yuu! Look how cute you two are!" Lavi walked over to the edge of the couch and pushed the phone in Kanda's face, showing off his captured even looking, Kanda grabbed Lavi's phone and tossed it behind him, chucking the offending object across the living room.

Lavi screeched in terror, chasing down the device as it skidded over the hardwood flooring and praying it didn't break. As the redhead picked up his phone, he sighed in relief. Not a scratch.

The disturbances finally got to Lenalee and she opened her tired eyes. Slowly, she sat herself up in the bed and looked around. "Morning already?" she asked, unaffected by her friends' bickering.

"It came too fast, didn't it?" Allen offered with a smile, helping her up off the bed.

Lenalee nodded, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. She didn't even realize she had snuggled up next to Kanda during the night. And of course Lavi and Allen had to see.

"Yes, it did. And I need to go to work in…" Lenalee looked at her phone and winced, "Two hours." How was it already so late? It felt like she had only gone to sleep five minutes ago.

"Just call in sick," Allen suggested, following Lavi into the kitchen to help prepare.

"Yeah!" the redhead added in, wielding a spatula as he spoke. "Let's all play hooky!"

Kanda still hadn't moved from the couch. "Great idea. I'll just call my boss and tell him it was your idea."

"Yuu, stop being a smartass," Lavi said, though a smile was on his face as he spoke. "Be helpful and tell me what kind of pancakes you want: Blueberry or chocolate chip?" He was already making said pancakes, whipping the batter together with ease.

"Why are you asking me? I don't even care."

"Ooh, do both," Allen interrupted, sliding up next Lavi and watching as he stirred the contents in the large, ceramic bowl.

"Your stomach has some pretty weird cravings," Lavi laughed, even as he did as Allen requested with a smile on his face.

Lenalee sighed as the topic devolved from that point on. Taking Allen's advice, she ducked into the bathroom, where it was blissfully quiet, and called in sick to work. Even if she could push herself to show up, she knew she would be dead on her feet by quitting time, and she wasn't willing to do that to herself for a few extra bucks. Once she finished her call, she returned to the living room and was greeted with the wonderful smell of fresh, hot pancakes. She smiled, and joined everyone for breakfast.

xXxXxXx

The bar was slow in the afternoon and left Lavi with too much time to think. It had been a week since the incident with the monster, and no one had had the guts to talk about it. It was as if once everyone had left the apartment that day, everything had returned to normal. None of them had seen anything or been attacked. Lavi wondered if they were all afraid to say something, in case speaking of it would make it happen again.

Lavi worried about Allen. He hadn't seen his boyfriend but once during the week, even though he received a few texts and phone calls. Lavi wasn't sure if it was because Allen didn't want to leave Lenalee alone in their apartment for too long or if coming back to Lavi's apartment simply reminded him of what happened that night. Either way, Lavi didn't like it. Tonight, he was determined to see Allen.

Sighing, the redhead pulled that morning's newspaper out and glanced at the front page. Usually, he wouldn't bother reading it, but he was so bored with no customers to serve at the moment, and there was nothing even remotely interesting on television. He couldn't stand the talk shows. Just as he was about to skip straight to the comics section, an article caught his attention. _Multiple Disappearances Have Police Puzzled._ Lavi swallowed down the lump in his throat and shook his head. The feeling in his gut made him recall the monster that had attacked them and somehow he knew there were more hiding out there.

No longer wanting the grim headline to be visible anymore, Lavi crumpled the newspaper up into a tight ball and promptly threw it away, comics be damned. A sudden annoyance crept up his spine as he pulled out his cell phone and started typing. It didn't take long for him to relay his message to Allen.

01:48 PM: Hey, when are you done with work?

After Lavi hit send, he tapped the bar with his fingers, impatiently waiting for a response. He was tired of being avoided and his brain was ready to explode with questions. It felt like an hour had passed before Allen replied.

02:02 PM: At six. Why?

Lavi wasted no time in replying.

02:03 PM: I want to see you. Can I pick you up?

Allen's reply came quicker this time around.

02:06 PM: I don't know. I'm really tired.

Lavi frowned. It had been the same excuse Allen had used all week long. The only time he had seen him was when the white haired man stopped by the bar to pick up something he had left at Lavi's apartment, and even then he only hung around for five minutes before making up an excuse to go home.

02:08 PM: Please? I haven't seen you since Sunday.

Allen took longer to reply than Lavi thought necessary, and he suspected the musician was combing his brain for reasons to decline Lavi's offer.

02:15 PM: Fine. I'll wait for you outside the shop at six to pick me up.

Lavi frowned at Allen's wording in the text. "Geez, don't do me any favors," he grumbled, shoving the phone into his pocket. At least he would see Allen, which was his original plan, but he didn't look forward to dealing with a cranky Allen. He had all he could do to deal with Kanda's constant surly attitude.

Sighing, Lavi looked around the bar to see if any patrons required his attention. The few people who were enjoying a late lunch or early drinks seemed to be quite content for the moment. With nothing else to do, Lavi grabbed a towel and started to clean the bar. It would be a long four hours before he could pick up Allen.

xXxXxXx

Allen pulled at the hood of his sweatshirt as he stood on the sidewalk, waiting for Lavi to pick him up. Even as summer waned, slowly turning into autumn, the days were still hot, even if the nights were cold. Allen could feel the sweat dripping down the back of his neck as the last of the day's heat hung around him like a buzzing fly. It would've been a pleasant day if he hadn't been swathed in his large, black hoodie and standing directly in the sun on a hot sidewalk.

Luckily, his boss hadn't given him much trouble about his newly colored hair or the scar on his face. Miriam was a laid back lady and seemed to buy his "trying out a new band look" excuse, but that didn't make Allen any less self-conscious about the physical changes he went through a week ago. It felt like every person who crossed his path looked at him, stared at him. It was unnerving and had been slowly chipping away at his confidence as the week dragged on.

Lavi's car pulled up to the sidewalk, distracting Allen from his thoughts. Without a word, he got into the car, slamming the door shut behind him. Once he was in the car, he pulled the hood down and buckled his seatbelt.

The terse behavior took Lavi by surprise. "Allen, are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

A frown marred Lavi's face as he turned his attention back to the road. Allen reached out and turned the air conditioner on at full blast, sighing when the cool air hit his sweat stained skin.

Lavi hazarded to speak again. "Why don't you take off your sweatshirt if you're hot?"

Allen stared out the window, purposefully not looking at his boyfriend. "I don't want to."

Lavi sighed. Allen was being more prickly than a porcupine and no matter what Lavi said, the white haired man was on the defensive. He refrained from asking anymore questions, leaving the car in silence, besides the soft tunes on the radio. Once they arrived at Lavi's place, they headed up to his apartment.

Allen kicked off his shoes as they passed the threshold, but still refused to take off his sweatshirt. It was starting to bother Lavi. There was no reason to keep on the extra layers, and Allen was even perspiring. Lavi could see the tiny beads of sweat prickling his forehead.

"Do you want something for dinner? I was thinking of ordering in," Lavi asked as he shuffled into the kitchen to get them each a drink.

"I'm not really hungry," Allen replied absently, sitting down on the end of the couch. He stared at one of the many bookshelves in the apartment, his eyes unfocused.

Lavi had just reached for a glass when he heard Allen's response. Those words were the last straw. Forgetting about the drinks, Lavi stalked back into the living room and didn't stop until he was standing right in front Allen. His eyebrows were furrowed in frustration as he stared at his boyfriend.

"All right – That is it! What is going on with you?"

"What are you talking about?" Allen asked, feigning ignorance. He refused to meet Lavi's gaze and pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

"You've been avoiding me all week!" Lavi started, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "And when I do talk to you, you do everything you can to get out of the conversation. You've been moping around since I picked you up and you don't want anything to eat? Since when have you _ever_ turned down food?"

Allen took a slow, deep breath. He had known if he was around Lavi for too long, the redhead would pick up on his discomfort, which was why he had avoided him in the first place. "I don't want to talk about it," he said in a reasonable tone, though he could feel his body shaking with stress and fatigue.

"Obviously," Lavi replied, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "But I really don't give a fuck if you want to talk or not. You need to tell me what's wrong."

Allen finally looked back at Lavi, his glare piercing right through him. He said nothing for a long moment, simply staring at the redhead. When Lavi wouldn't back down, Allen stood up and headed for the door. "I'm leaving."

"No," Lavi said, grabbing Allen's wrist before he could even make it around the couch. "You're staying here and you're going to tell me what your problem is."

Allen jerked his hand away from Lavi and pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt over it. "No, you don't get it!" Allen shot back, losing his temper easily. "Talking will solve nothing!"

Lavi noticed Allen pull away and hide his left hand. Realization started to blossom in his mind, leading him to change his tactic. Before Allen could shrink away any further, Lavi pulled him back and trapped him in a tight hug. Allen was stiff in his arms, unable to relax.

Softening his voice and pushing his own frustration away, Lavi spoke into Allen's ear. "Please, Allen. Tell me what is wrong so I can help."

Allen's lip quivered before he pressed his face into Lavi's shoulder. Lavi was being too nice to him, even when Allen knew he was being unreasonable, and it made all the walls he had built up during the week crumble into dust. It was easy to shout at Lavi when the redhead shouted back. Allen couldn't put up a fight when his boyfriend held him like he would crumble to pieces if he let go.

"I'm so tired…" Allen said, feeling the weight of all his feelings bearing down on him. He couldn't hold up anymore.

"Why are you tired?"

"I.." Allen started, finally succumbing to stress and ready to spill his guts. "I keep having nightmares. They won't go away."

Lavi held him closer. "What kind of nightmares?"

Allen's fingers grip Lavi's upper arm as he remembered the images that flooded his head every night. "Terrible ones. I see more monsters. So many people died…"

Lavi nodded, understanding how frightening it was to have such dreams. He was no stranger to nightmares, and they attacked him near nightly as of late as well. "Are you worried another monster will attack?"

"Yes," Allen admitted, his grip on the redhead tightening. "I haven't been over here because I didn't want to leave Lenalee by herself at our apartment and…"

"And?" Lavi prompted, wanting to hear more of Allen's worries. He wanted the musician to air everything out, hoping that would make him feel better.

Allen swallowed. He felt so shallow and stupid, but he had to know… He had to know what Lavi thought. Lavi's opinion mattered most of all. "The… The scar and my arm…" he started, nervous and still pressing his face into Lavi's shoulder. "I… Do you…" Allen paused for a moment to clear his thoughts before finishing his sentence. "Do they bother you?"

Lavi sighed. He had a creeping suspicion that this was part of Allen's issues lately. Without a word, he pulled back and kissed Allen. The white haired man finally relaxed in Lavi's arms, their mouths molding against each other's perfectly. When the kiss broke, Allen's silver eyes shined up at Lavi. The redhead smiled back down at his boyfriend. "Of course it doesn't bother me."

"But…"

"No. No 'buts.' I don't care how you change on the outside, Allen. I love you for who you are on the inside."

Allen sighed with relief, still wrapped up in Lavi's embrace. His face flushed at the redhead's caring words. "Lavi…" he mumbled, his voice swimming in emotion, not exactly sure how to respond.

"But don't worry. You're still a total hottie," Lavi added in, a mischievous grin on his face. "I'll nail you to the wall right now if you want." He leaned in and nipped at Allen's neck and ear. Allen squeaked in surprise and jumped back, the romantic mood completely ruined. "Lavi!" he shouted, swatting lightly at the redhead's arm.

Lavi laughed, just happy to have Allen back to normal. "What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "I can't help myself! You just taste so good." He dove back in to attack the tender flesh on Allen's neck.

"Hey, stop! That tickles! Lavi!" Allen protested in between fits of laughter. He tried to get out of Lavi's reach, but only managed to trip and fall back onto the couch, Lavi following after him. The redhead continued to tease Allen's neck as he slipped his hands up his boyfriend's shirt, tickling Allen until he was nothing but a helpless mess of giggles

Lavi only stopped after Allen was unable to laugh anymore, breathless from the tickling onslaught. By that time, he was straddling the smaller man on the couch, staring down at him in triumph.

Once Allen caught his breath, he pushed Lavi's shoulder playfully. "That was uncalled for," he said, bushing back the hair from his face as he stared up at him.

The redhead grinned. "Well, at least you're smiling now. I much prefer it when you smile."

He leaned down and captured Allen's lips with his own, kissing him softly. He felt Allen respond, hands grabbing Lavi's shirt and pulling him down closer. Lavi moaned softly into Allen's mouth, getting caught up in the moment. He was about to take things a step further, deepening their kiss and moving his hands under Allen's shirt, when a familiar growling sound interrupted them.

Lavi chuckled as he sat back up. "Damn, Allen. I think your stomach is getting louder."

Allen blushed, aroused and embarrassed at the same time. "I haven't eaten since this morning," he replied, looking off to the side so he didn't have to see the amused look on Lavi's face.

Hopping off the couch, Lavi stood and grabbed his phone off the coffee table. He punched a few keys, looking for the right number. "Don't worry. I'll save you from starvation," he joked, pulling the phone to his ear as he waited for an answer. "Jade Fountain? Yeah, can I place an order for delivery?"

Allen sat up on the couch as Lavi ordered Chinese food, sighing softly and leaning back into the cushions. He watched his boyfriend pace back and forth in the living room, reciting by memory a list of their favorite dishes, and smiled. How did the redhead always know how to turn his mood around? It was insane how easily Lavi could cheer Allen up, almost as if it was his superpower.

Once the food was ordered, Lavi hung up the phone and looked over to Allen. "Thirty minutes for delivery. You think you can last that long?" he asked, laughter in his voice.

Allen rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off his lips. "Yes, I'll live. Somehow."

Lavi joined Allen on the couch, sitting right next to him and slipping his arm over Allen's shoulder. "What do you want to do tonight? You pick."

Allen leaned into Lavi's shoulder, nearly melting against him. Even with his stomach rumbling at him, he was close to falling asleep. Lavi finally managed to get him to relax for the first time in the past week and all the lack of sleep was catching up to Allen. "Let's just watch a movie or something. I'm so tired." He closed his eyes, resting against his boyfriend. Right then, nothing mattered except the two of them.

Lavi grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He switched through the channels until he found a rerun marathon of Gilligan's Island. It didn't really matter what was on; Lavi and Allen weren't paying attention anyway. While Allen slipped in and out of consciousness, Lavi watched him quietly. They cuddled on the couch until the food arrived. Lavi managed to untangle himself from Allen without disturbing him too much to get the door and pay for the food. Unfortunately, his smooth maneuvers went to waste. As soon as Allen caught whiff of the Chinese takeout, he was up and ready to eat. Lavi should have known that would happen.

"Food's here," he said, even though it was obvious Allen was well aware of the food's delicious presence in the apartment.

"My hero," Allen said, plucking one of the bags from Lavi's arms and returning to the couch. They both unloaded the multitude of takeout boxes onto the coffee table, setting out the feast.

Lavi brandished a pair of chopsticks as he started in on a box of lo mein. "Now, you are going to leave me _some_ food, right?"

Allen already had half a box of fried rice down his throat. "Well, not if you're going be like that," he joked before chowing down on a pair of egg rolls.

"Gah. I take it back. Just don't choke, ok? My CPR skills are rusty," Lavi commented, wondering if he had ordered enough food for Allen's ridiculously large appetite.

Allen finished off his egg rolls before picking up another box, this one containing a steaming heap of potstickers. "Sorry, Lavi. I haven't wanted to eat all week. I think it's catching up with me."

"No kidding."

They ate and watched TV, and eventually Allen's stomach was appeased. They camped out on the couch, full of Chinese food, watching the retro station. The hours passed by, the sun disappearing. Allen fell asleep on Lavi again, this time as they both stretched out on the couch. Allen rested on top of Lavi, his head buried in his boyfriend's chest. Lavi stared at the television, stroking Allen's hair as the man slept.

A loud laugh track on the show broke the peace and Allen woke with a start. He seemed disoriented for a few seconds before relaxing once more, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What time is it?" he asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"Almost ten."

"Damn," Allen cursed, awkwardly pulling himself off of Lavi's chest and fumbling for his phone on the coffee table.

"What's wrong?" Lavi asked, sitting up with Allen as he watched the white haired man finally grab the device

"Lenalee's done with work soon. I should probably go home."

"No, stay here Allen. I missed you all week," Lavi said, pulling Allen closer and nuzzling his shoulder. The last thing he wanted was for Allen to leave.

Allen felt a blush creep up his neck as Lavi nibbled at his sensitive skin. "I don't want to leave her alone in the apartment." Even as he gave his reasoning, Allen's resolve was crumbling. He was still tired and Lavi was so cozy, not to mention the redhead was growing more bold with his touches. He didn't even realize Lavi's hand was already up his shirt until he felt the skilled fingers rubbing up against one of his nipples.

Allen nearly dropped the phone on the floor when Lavi hit a particularly sensitive spot on his ear. "Lavi," he whined, though whether it was for him to stop or keep going, Allen was unsure of at that point.

"Just stay here tonight," Lavi pleaded, his breath tickling the back of his boyfriend's neck.

"But what about Lenalee?"

Lavi was silent for a moment, then grabbed his phone. He dialed the number and waited for an answer.

"Who are you calling?" Allen asked, only to be ignored.

"Hey, I need a favor," Lavi said into the phone as he pulled Allen into his lap, his free arm encircling Allen's waist.

"_What the hell do you want?"_ the surly voice over the phone asked.

Allen blanched as he recognized the tone. "You called _Kanda_?!"

Lavi shushed Allen and continued to talk to the bartender. "You're not working, right?"

"_Is this a trick question?"_

"No, I'm serious. I need you to do something for me."

"_No."_

"Yuu, c'mon! You haven't even heard my request!" Lavi cried out. "I promise you'll want to do it."

"_I very much doubt that."_

"Oh, that's a shame," Lavi started, his voice full of mock sadness, but his face lit up with trickery. "Lenalee will be so disappointed."

Silence echoed on the other end of the line.

"I told her you would be able to check on her since Allen's staying at my apartment. She's still worried about what happened last weekend and was concerned about being alone." Of course, it was a blatant lie. Lenalee had said no such thing, but Kanda didn't need to know that.

Silence.

Lavi decided to dangle his last carrot, hoping Kanda would go for it. "I guess I'll just call her and tell her you were too busy to stop by."

"_I'll go, you jackass."_

The phone beeped after that, the call ending. Lavi smiled triumphantly. "I'm a fucking genius," he announced, tossing his phone onto the coffee table.

Allen, however, had a frown plastered over his face. "You sent Kanda? Really?" He paused for a minute before emphasizing his shock once more. "_Kanda."_

"Hey, they are totally digging on each other. It's not my fault you don't see it."

"I don't think I want to see it."

"Hey, to each his own. But now you're mine for the night," Lavi pulled Allen down on the couch, letting the white haired man straddle him this time. Lavi's hands rested on Allen's hips as he looked up into his silver eyes. "What do you say we have some fun?"

Allen blushed, but a smile touched his lips. "You're impossible."

"I think you mean impossibly awesome."

Allen sighed, rolling his eyes. "Ok, you need to stop talking," he said. Before the redhead could counter the point, Allen swooped down and kissed him, silencing any words that might have come out.


	11. Chapter 11

_Somewhere inside my evolution_  
_Karmically I seek retribution_  
_Looking for love in the physical beauty_  
_Desire is the drug of the bourgeoisie_  
_And now, I try to intellectualize_  
_Like a glimmer of good in a bad man's eyes_  
_I am consumed by the flesh haunting me_  
_I know temptation taunts the empty_

_So pour yourself over me_  
_Until there's nothing left to see_  
_Yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_Because I like the way you move in the dark_  
_I like the tension, the tension and the spark_

_Darren Hayes — I Like the Way_

xXxXxXx

Lenalee parked the van on the street outside her apartment building and grabbed the keys from the ignition. She locked the vehicle and hurried towards the building, ready to end her day. Work had been long and tiring and all she wanted to do was relax. As she was rifling through her purse to find her phone, a voice shook her out of her concentrated state.

"Hey."

The greeting took Lenalee so off guard that she dropped her purse in fright, brandishing her keys at the voice as if they were a weapon. Once she spotted the source of the call, she relaxed, her hands dropping to her sides even as her heart still hammered in her chest. "Geez, Kanda. You don't have to sneak up on me."

Kanda leaned against the brick building, arms crossed, as he waited for Lenalee to arrive. As Lenalee tried to calm her startled heartbeat, Kanda pushed off the side of the building and walked towards her. "I wasn't sneaking," he said, his voice monotone. He picked up Lenalee's dropped purse and handed it to her.

Lenalee took the purse and shouldered it. "What are you doing here?" she asked, calming down some.

Kanda scratched the back of his neck and looked off to the side, away from Lenalee. "Beansprout is staying at Lavi's. So, he sent me here."

Sighing, Lenalee brushed her hair out of her face. "I told him I was fine. I don't need a babysitter."

Kanda clenched his jaw. That wasn't what the _idiot_ had told him over the phone, but then again, he should have known better than to trust that redheaded nightmare. He made a mental note to punch Lavi the next time he saw him. Hard.

Brushing off her annoyance with Allen, Lenalee smiled up at Kanda. "Well, you're here anyway, right? Why don't you come upstairs?"

Kanda shrugged. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to be. "Sure," he agreed, following Lenalee into the apartment building.

He hadn't been to her place since he gave her a ride home when Allen had ditched her for Lavi at the bar, leaving him stranded there for the night until the storm passed. He tried not to think about that night much. When he did, all he could recall was her fingers untangling the knots in his hair with a gentle touch and that the blanket she gave him smelled like her.

And it smelled so good.

Lenalee opened the door, hitting the light switch as she entered. She hung her purse and coat on the rack near the front door, happy to be home. "I'm sorry Allen made you come here."

Kanda closed the door behind him, shrugging at her apology. "I don't mind. It's not your fault anyway, so don't apologize for it." He stood there watching her, not really sure what to do with himself.

Luckily, Lenalee's sudden onset of pep filled in any awkwardness that Kanda had. "Well, as long as you don't mind, then I'm happy." She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cabinet. "Do you want anything? Are you hungry? I could make some tea, if you'd like?"

"No, I'm fine." He leaned against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room and watched as she filled her glass with tap water.

Lenalee stood at the sink, taking a long drink. "Ah, that's better," she said, finishing off half the glass. When she caught Kanda's eyes on her, she laughed. "Sorry, it was a long day at work. I'm completely exhausted."

Kanda's lips twitched into a frown. "I should go then," he said, turning to leave.

Lenalee's eyes widened. She took a few steps forward and caught the sleeve of Kanda's jacket. "Ah, wait!"

When Kanda turned around and looked at her, Lenalee's face flushed. She let go of his sleeve and pulled her hands to her chest. "Um, actually… I wouldn't mind the company. The apartment is too quiet when I'm here by myself."

Kanda regarded her quietly for a moment before speaking. "Aren't you tired? Don't you want to go to sleep?"

She gave him a strained smile. "I can stay up for a bit. We could watch a movie? I mean, as long as it's ok with you, that is. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." Lenalee didn't want to admit that she was too nervous to be alone in the apartment. Allen had been a constant companion for the week, which assuaged her fears of any more monster attacks. Tonight was the first night she would have been on her own, and it set her on edge thinking about it. If Kanda were here, though, she knew she would feel safer.

Kanda took off his jacket, then kicked off his boots as well. "I'll stay," he said. Lenalee's voice practically pleaded with him not to go, and he couldn't refuse her. He didn't miss the relieved look on her face.

"Thanks, Kanda. I'll put in a movie."

With nothing else to do, Kanda sat down on the futon and watched as Lenalee fiddled with the TV and DVD player. After a few moments, she got the movie running. The stiff bartender couldn't help but smile a bit at Lenalee's viewing choice — The Princess Bride. Of course, she would pick something as adorable and sweet as she was.

Ugh, he had to stop thinking things like that.

Lenalee sat down next to Kanda, pulling her fuzzy green blanket down over her and Kanda's laps. She hummed to herself as she arranged the blanket and settled down into the cushions. Once she was comfortable, the two fell into a companionable silence, watching the movie and relaxing on the futon.

Kanda had been trying to pay attention to the film, to keep his mind off of how close Lenalee was to him. Even though they weren't physically touching, he could feel the heat radiating off her body. It wasn't even thirty minutes into the storyline when he felt a pressure on his shoulder and arm. Turning his head, he found the source of the disturbance. Lenalee had fallen asleep against him, her face resting on his arm. Kanda opened his mouth to wake her, but remembered that she was exhausted and thought better of it. She needed her rest, even though her rest happened to be on _him_.

Kanda managed to reach the remote control without disturbing the sleeping woman on his arm and shut it off. He took a long, slow breath. Kanda knew as soon as he moved and tried to leave, Lenalee would wake up and ask where he was going, possibly trying to get him to stay even longer. It wasn't as if he didn't want to stay, but more that he felt uncomfortable around Lenalee. She was too nice to him. No one was supposed to be nice to him, not when he put up his cold front and glared at anything that moved. He was supposed to be unapproachable, specifically to make everyone leave him alone. Lavi somehow managed to brush off Kanda's less than endearing personality, though the bartender figured that was just his boss being an idiot like usual. But Lenalee… she was something else altogether.

Sighing, Kanda relaxed back against the cushion of the futon, essentially stuck where he was for the moment. He closed his eyes and tried hard not to think about how close the guitarist was and how nice she smelled. No, thinking about those things would not help his situation in the least. As Kanda tried to clear his mind, the quiet of the apartment lulled him slowly into a light sleep.

xXxXxXx

The TV continued to play old reruns in the living room, the voices and laugh tracks a mere buzzing in the back of Lavi's mind as Allen pressed him up against the wall of his bedroom, kissing him as if he needed the redhead's lips to breathe. Allen's body rubbed up against him, their clothing feeling more restricting as their kisses heated up. They had moved from the living room couch to the bedroom, hoping to make it to the bed. They were only a few feet from the comfortable mattress, but still hadn't quite reached the goal.

Lavi felt Allen tugging on his shirt, and without any further warning, the clothing was ripped from his torso and discarded in the rat's nest that was Lavi's bedroom floor. Lavi snickered. "Impatient?" he asked, his hands running up Allen's sides to dispose of his shirt as well.

Once the white haired man was free of his shirt, he pulled Lavi back towards the bed. "You could say that," Allen admitted, pushing Lavi onto the mattress and quickly straddling his hips. He looked down at Lavi with a grin before leaning down and kissing him once more.

"Mmm," Lavi moaned into Allen's mouth, gripping his boyfriend's butt as he thrust up against him. They both groaned at the contact, Allen pulling away from Lavi's lips to bite his bare shoulder. Allen's insistence was turning Lavi on quicker than normal — he was already hard and ready to go, each tiny bit of pressure sending his hips bucking up against Allen.

"Nnn, Allen. You're driving me crazy," he called to his lover, kissing over Allen's shoulder, hands running up and down his back.

"The feeling's mutual," Allen managed to rasp out, pulling back and turning his focus onto Lavi's pants. He undid the belt buckle with deft hands, then freed Lavi from the confines of the rest of his clothes. Without missing a beat, Allen dipped down low and wrapped his lips around Lavi's hardened length. Lavi let loose a window rattling moan, hands gripping the bedsheets as Allen pleasured him.

"Oh, god… Allen…" he called, trying to keep his hips still so he didn't thrust up into the white haired man's mouth and choke him. Since their first time together, Allen had become increasingly bold in bed, much to Lavi's delight, and taking charge as he did now was causing the redhead to unravel faster than normal.

After a few tantalizing minutes, Allen pulled away and let Lavi loose, still hard and awaiting more attention. "If you keep on like that, the entire neighborhood will hear you," Allen teased, smiling at the redhead as he hovered over him.

"Let them hear," Lavi announced, grabbing Allen's shoulders and rolling them so that he was now pinning his boyfriend. He kissed Allen deeply, a faint salty hint of himself on his lips, and then quickly ripped Allen's pants off, patience vanishing like a wisp of smoke. He didn't even give Allen a chance to settle back in the pillows before he took him into his mouth, tongue working over Allen's stiffness.

"Aah, Lavi…" he sighed, body shaking under the tremors of pleasure that worked their way though him. Allen was so distracted, that he barely noticed Lavi pulling away for a quick second, only to engulf him once more. Then, to add to the delight, Allen felt two slicked up fingers penetrate him, working into him as Lavi continued to suck. Allen moaned loud then, losing any composure he had managed to hold onto until that point.

Lavi hummed around Allen, pulling back but still gently stretching him out. "Who's the loud one now?" he asked, laughter in his voice.

"L-Lavi… Nnnn…" Allen tried to speak but he seemed to only be able to get the redhead's name to spill past his lips. All he could do was whine as the euphoria spread though his limbs.

Deciding his boyfriend had enough teasing, Lavi pulled his fingers loose and slid his hands over Allen's hips. "Turn over," he urged, gently helping Allen to flip onto his stomach. The white haired man rested on his hands and knees, moving breathlessly. Once Allen was in place, Lavi pulled his hips back, sliding into Allen as he moved. Allen groaned, pressing his face into the bed sheets and muffling any other noises he made. Once Lavi had them positioned right, he started to move his hips, slowly pressing in and out of the white haired man.

It wasn't enough to simply thrust into Allen. Lavi leaned over and kissed his back, one hand slipping around to grasp Allen from the front. His hand worked Allen over as he thrust in sync, pushing Allen closer to the brink.

"Oh, god Lavi. Don't stop. Don't stop," Allen begged, crying out in delight as the redhead worked him over, grunting and pumping in and out of him like a piston. They moved together like a machine — pushing and pulling, back and forth. Allen was reduced to spouting gibberish, letting Lavi fuck him hard from behind while pleasuring him in front as well. It was all too much for the musician. He couldn't hold back any longer, the ecstasy finally consuming him fully. Allen came with a cry, his body tensing up as the white liquid poured from his spent member.

Allen's orgasm was the breaking point for Lavi. When he felt Allen cum, he pulled his hand back and grabbed Allen's hips, thrusting with abandon against his boyfriend. It only took a few seconds for him to join Allen in completion, spilling himself into Allen with a gasp of delight.

Lavi and Allen collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion taking hold. Allen turned over to stare up at the ceiling, his breath coming in heavy gasps. Lavi pulled Allen to him, his arm resting over his chest and his face burying into Allen's sweaty, white hair.

"Mm, I'm all messy," Allen whispered, still winded. He tilted his head to the side and looked over the redhead. A small smile touched his lips. Lavi looked like his was ready to pass out.

"Me too," he agreed, pulling Allen closer to him as they snuggled amid the soiled sheets. "But I'm too tired to get up and shower."

"Hmm," Allen mumbled, lazily running his hand through Lavi's hair. "Even if I join you?"

Lavi chuckled, a grin spreading over his face. "Oh? You want to shower with me? I hope you know what that will entail."

"I think I can wager a guess."

"Well, Mr. Walker. Don't go making promises you can't keep."

xXxXxXx

_She was fighting…_

_Her powerful legs burned with fatigue, tired from the never ending battle. The grassy field underneath her feet was soaked in blood, friend and foe alike feeding the ground with the red liquid. Everything was happening at once, her heart and head in a flurry to keep up. Tears stung her eyes as she kicked the man in front of her clear across the battlefield, his lanky body hitting an oak tree with a sickly thump. They took her precious friend… Lavi's screams of pain and anguish echoed through the night air, leaving the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Her tears were shed for Allen's now lifeless body, for Lavi's heartbreak, and for her own loss as well. She wouldn't let them get away with this. They would pay — she would make sure of it._

_Kanda glared, rushing up from behind her and stopping at her side. "What the hell are you doing!? Stay out of this! This is my fight."_

_Lenalee ignored the perturbed swordsman and took a defensive position, ready for another attack from their enemy. "We don't have the luxury of taking turns, Kanda."_

_Before Kanda could hazard a response, Lenalee went back into combat. The tall man with the crazy eyes wasn't down for long, and she engaged him once more, her boots glowing an eerie green and black as she kicked and jumped with practiced precision. A well placed kick to the face left the man gripping his cheek in pain._

_His yellow eyes narrowed at the female exorcist. "That will be your last mistake, girl." He darted towards Lenalee, slicing at her with his weapon, only to hit air as she jumped out of range and landed a few feet away._

_Kanda took her place and fought the man, Mugen glowing radiantly with the power of the innocence hidden inside. They fought viciously, their swords clashing against each other in mad, fevered swings. As soon as Kanda pulled back, ready to change his position for the next attack, Lenalee jumped in and fought once more, giving the swordsman a breather while their enemy got no reprieve. The constant barrage of attacks were getting to the mad man, as his face was showing the stress he was under._

_Lenalee was about to jump in for another attack, when a shout across the field shook her out of her concentration. She glanced over at Lavi, hearing his cry of pain. It was a mistake, she realized too late, as the enemy's weapon sliced into her side, clean through her midsection. The sharp weapon left her body as she fell to the ground, crumpled into a heap._

_The man only stood victorious for a second. It was all Kanda needed to finish him off for good. Using the last of his energy, he stabbed his sword through the back of the enemy's neck. The man went rigid, then twitched as he fell from the tip of Kanda's sword and on the ground._

_Kanda looked down at his enemy with contempt until he was certain death claimed him. He then went to Lenalee with heavy limbs, every step feeling like he was lugging cement in his boots._

_Lenalee choked on the blood in her mouth as she held her stomach. Blood and viscera spilled between her fingers as she tried to hold it all in. Silent tears crawled down her dirty cheeks. Kanda knelt next to her, saying nothing._

"_K-Kanda…" she started to say, but the pain kept her from getting her words out easily. "I… I guess I'll be seeing Allen soon, right?" She gasped and curled up in a fetal position, still clutching the gaping wound on her stomach._

_Kanda swallowed, his voice not working right. The only thing he managed to do was brush his fingers against her forehead with the slightest touch. Blood, dirt, and sweat smudged across her skin and Kanda let his fingers linger on her flesh. He was weak and tired and all he wanted to do was give up and die with Lenalee._

_Lenalee coughed, blood splattering against her knees and the ground. "S-sorry I got in the way." Her dark eyes looked up at Kanda. "Did you kill him?"_

_Kanda winced at every cough and rasped breath Lenalee took. Her head now rested against his thigh as he sat next to her. "Yeah. I stabbed the fucker for you."_

_Lenalee started to laugh, but it turned into a coughing fit. Kanda pulled her closer, his arm wrapping around her shoulder. "I can always count on you, c-can't I?" she said, looking up at him with dewy eyes._

"_Yes," the swordsman replied, not missing a beat. A strange hitch in his breathing kept him from saying anything else._

_Lenalee slipped further into the darkness that began to surround her as the blood loss slowed her body to almost nothingness. The only thing she could feel anymore was the warmth coming off Kanda's body. Her voice was weak and almost inaudible when she spoke again. "Kanda. Please go help Lavi."_

_Kanda didn't move. "I'm not leaving."_

"_Please, Kanda? He n-needs help." Lenalee coughed again, harder this time. "I'll be fine."_

_His black eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. He could hear Lavi still fighting in the background, but he didn't look up. He didn't even know how much he would be able to help the redhead, considering he felt like he'd been run over by a train. He didn't know how much more fight he had left in him. At the moment, he didn't give a shit about the battle. His focus was on the dying girl in his lap._

_When Lenalee didn't get a response out of him, she prodded once more. "K-Kanda?"_

_He looked down at her with a heavy silence. The swordsman knew she was almost gone. He could feel the life draining from her small body._

"_I… I'll find you again."_

_Kanda tried to swallow, but there was no moisture left in his mouth. He tried to ignore the pain in his heart, but it was becoming unbearable. His eyes locked with Lenalee's. "Not if I find you first."_

_Lenalee smiled, the tears spilling over her cheeks once more. "Same… old… Kanda…" After his name left her lips for the last time, her head lolled to the side, her eyes closing._

Kanda woke to screaming, his heart nearly jumping right out of his throat at the sound. His dark eyes shot open as he turned to the source. Kanda expected to see something horrible, like a monster attacking again, but it was only Lenalee. Her hands were pressed against her face as she squeezed her eyes shut and curled over herself. He reached over on instinct, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her close. "Lenalee," he called, his voice panicked. "Lenalee, what's wrong?"

"Dead," she screeched, refusing to open her eyes. "They're killing us all!" Her body shook uncontrollably, trapped in whatever nightmare haunted her dreams.

"No one is dead," Kanda said, trying to be the voice of reason. However, as the words left his lips, his mind shot to an unthinkable image — Lenalee's lifeless body in his arms. He swallowed down the anger and panic that rose in his chest, instead focusing on the distressed woman next to him.

"I saw them. I saw me. I saw us all!" she cried, beyond consolation. Tears poured over her cheeks as she shook her head, not wanting to believe in the images imprinted on her memory.

Kanda couldn't see her like this anymore. It hurt his heart, his soul, to see her in such anguish. He grabbed Lenalee's hands and pulled them away from her face, forcing her to look up at him. Their eyes locked, and the sobs in Lenalee's throat slowed to dull hiccups.

Kanda placed his hands on the sides of her face, making sure she wouldn't look away. "It's ok, Lenalee. It was just a dream."

Tears poured over Lenalee's eyes like an overflowing river. She choked back a sob as she grabbed Kanda's wrists. She didn't try to pull his hands away from her face, but instead held onto him as if to steady herself. "I don't want to die, Kanda. I don't want any of us to die."

"No one's going to die," he assured her, remaining strong on the outside, even as his insides were twisting into a horrific knot of unease.

"But I saw it, Kanda. I saw it all…"

Lenalee's emotions were working up Kanda, cracking his cool exterior. It became harder and harder not to crumble as she had, especially with such heart wracking sobs piercing his usually impenetrable exterior. Kanda lost himself in the moment, too caught up in trying to calm the distraught guitarist to police his behavior. His thumbs rubbed Lenalee's cheeks, wiping away the tear trails on her face. "I won't let anyone hurt you," he said, his voice softer than she had ever heard it before.

Lenalee sniffled, watching Kanda's face with hope and sadness in her eyes. She swallowed down the lump in her throat before she managed to speak again. "I will protect you, too." Even though her voice was rough and weak from crying, the words still held an authority that couldn't be denied.

The sentiment was too much for Kanda. Here Lenalee was, crying her eyes out over her nightmare, and she had to go and say something like that? As great as his need to keep her safe was, it seemed to pale in comparison to the determination on Lenalee's face. She cared too much, and not just for him — for everyone and everything. How could one person even contain that much love? Though, perhaps it wasn't contained, instead spilling from her eyes like tiny waterfalls of tears.

It spilled on him so easily, all that overflowing emotion. Only someone with a heart of stone could keep their cool under that force, and as much as Kanda would like everyone to believe he was made of rock, his heart was sadly all too soft. He couldn't keep everything he felt for Lenalee bundled inside any longer. The bindings were off and each carefully tucked in piece was unfolding.

He didn't know how it happened or why he couldn't stop himself. Unable to hold back, Kanda leaned forward and captured Lenalee's lips with his own, his hands still gently holding her face as if she were delicate glass. He could taste the saltiness of her tears mingled with the warmth of her mouth. Her hands gripped his arms tighter, pulling him closer.

The moment ended all too quickly for Kanda, as his wits finally came back, forcing him to pull away from the woman in his arms. His face flushed in an uncharacteristic blush as he let go of Lenalee's face and swallowed nervously. He shouldn't have done that.

Lenalee blinked, bemused for a few moments after Kanda pulled away. She watched him, her eyes searching his for what seemed like an eternity to Kanda, before a smile graced her features once more.

She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. "Thank you, Kanda," she mumbled, her body relaxing. "I feel better now."

His blushing face only darkened as he held Lenalee. Every breath he took filled his nose with her smell and sent his head spinning. "You're welcome," he mumbled back, awkwardly.

Lenalee didn't want to let go — she felt too safe in Kanda's arms. As bad as the dream had been, it was starting to fade as she pulled herself tighter into his embrace. Warm and comfortable, Lenalee clung to the long haired man as if he were the only thing keeping her afloat in the swirling chaos of a typhoon at sea. She was exhausted and her face hurt from crying. Lenalee knew she should wash her face and go to sleep, but she couldn't let go of Kanda.

Kanda was the first to pull away, though Lenalee didn't quite let go of him, her hands still gripping his forearms. "I should probably get going. You need some rest."

However, as he moved to leave, Lenalee grabbed his arms tighter, holding onto the fabric of his shirt.

"No, please… Please stay, Kanda," she pleaded, her head bowed slightly, unable to look into his face. "I can't be alone tonight. Please stay."

Kanda sighed. He knew he shouldn't stay the night, but Lenalee was so distraught that even if he did leave, he knew would spend the whole night worrying about her. "Fine. I'll stay."

Lenalee managed a small smiled. She leaned forward and pressed her face into Kanda's shoulder, slumping in relief. "Thank you."

xXxXxXx

He stayed all night.

The sun peeked above the horizon and rays of light slipped between the curtains of the bedroom window. Kanda stared at the ceiling through half lidded eyes, tired and stiff from sharing a bed with Lenalee. She had clung to him all night long, still upset over her nightmare, while he did his best not move too much or touch her anywhere inappropriate. He sighed, still trapped on the bed with Lenalee's arm around his chest and face buried in his shoulder.

Kanda had been up for nearly an hour, silently berating himself for kissing Lenalee last night. He had been in the moment, with her so upset and emotional, that he had forgotten himself. Lenalee was so sweet, too sweet, and she didn't deserve to be stuck with someone as stiff and mean as he was. Even if he had feelings for her, which he still fervently tried to deny in spite of everything that had happened, it wouldn't change the fact that he was not someone to be in a relationship with, friendship or otherwise. He was surly, easily aggravated, and horrible at conveying his feelings and thoughts. Lenalee did not deserve to be stuck with him — she deserved someone better, someone not so difficult.

Still, that didn't change the fact that he _had_ kissed her, or that he was currently occupying space in her bed. He sighed, not knowing what he should do now. The thought of pursuing a relationship with her sent a flurry of feelings through him — nervousness, fear, happiness, excitement. Things were in motion already, and he couldn't decide whether to squash what had started or let it go and see where it took him. Both options bothered Kanda, leaving him stiff with indecision. If he ignored his heart and did what his brain told him to do, he could avoid what would most certainly be further pain. If he knew anything, it was that no one wanted to be with him for very long. Everyone left because they couldn't deal with him or his attitude. But if he went with what he felt — what he wanted — he would never leave Lenalee's side, no matter what.

Lenalee shifted in her sleep, pulling closer to Kanda. His dark eyes flickered over to her, unsure if she was waking up. He sighed again, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

"Kanda?" Lenalee asked, her voice fuzzy and quiet. She pulled herself away from him and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Kanda stiffened at the sound of his name. He sat up as well and pushed himself back against the headboard, giving her some space. He didn't reply to her, not knowing what to say.

She smiled as she watched him. "I didn't think you would still be here."

His lips twitched into a frown. "You asked me to stay," he said.

"Yes, but…" she began, then paused. Shaking her head, Lenalee laughed. "Never mind. Let's get some breakfast. Do you like eggs?"

"Yeah."


	12. Chapter 12

_Outside confidence is king_  
_I am all that you're projecting_  
_Inside, feel the rising tide_  
_And the revolution's deafening_

_I was trying to hide my opposing side_  
_Trying to reconcile my Jekyll and Hyde_

_Ladies and gentlemen listen up please_  
_I don't want to be your hero_  
_(No, I am not open, parts of me are broken)_  
_Do yourself a favor_  
_Save yourself_  
_Don't pick me, find someone else_  
_(Why'd you want to bother, find yourself another)_

_Darren Hayes — Hero_

xXxXxXx

Road smiled to herself as she stood in the shadows outside the bookstore, twirling her umbrella absently. Her plan would come to fruition tonight, making the past years of isolation worth the wait. Everything was in place — all she had to do was wait for Allen. A few more minutes and her revenge would be complete.

She looked to her side at the akuma she controlled. Her eyes narrowed. "Stay here until I tell you otherwise. Understood?"

The akuma hissed, excitement boiling in its black blood. "Yes, Master Road." The akuma flexed its claws, ready for a fight.

Just then the door chimed, signaling someone was exiting the building. Road's golden eyes flickered to the entrance, watching the man leave. She stretched out her hand, silently telling the akuma to fall back. Her eyes followed the figure as he walked down the street, oblivious to her presence. Yes, it was time.

xXxXxXx

Allen pulled out his cell phone and sighed as he caught sight of the time. It was just past midnight. He dialed a number and pulled the phone to his ear, waiting for an answer.

"_Hello?"_

"Ah, Lenalee? Sorry if I woke you," Allen said, continuing to walk down the darkened streets.

"_It's ok. I was still up reading. Are you just getting done with work?"_

"Yeah, inventory ran late because I was the only one willing to help Miriam out. I should have been done two hours ago," Allen complained, his pace quickening.

"_Do you need me to pick you up in the van?"_

"No, I'll be fine. It's a nice night anyway. I should be home in thirty minutes."

"_Oooh?"_ Lenalee teased, "_So, you're actually coming home and not going to a certain someone's bar? Surprise, surprise!"_

Allen blushed. "Lenalee, I'm not _always_ there, you know."

"_I was starting to think you lived at Lavi's place!"_ she continued, laughter in her voice. "_I was about to put out a flier for a new roommate."_

"Yeah? Well, I'm sure Kanda would love to take my place," Allen shot back, rolling his eyes.

"_Oh, Allen. Don't be like that."_

"Hey, it's none of my business who you want to date, even if it's a someone who needs a major personality adjustment."

"_We're not exactly dating,"_ Lenalee added in, exasperated.

"And what would you call it?"

"…_Testing the waters?"_

"Suuuuure," Allen replied, his tone thick with sarcasm. "Sounds legit."

He turned the corner of the sidewalk next to the park, and froze in place. His mouth dried up and his heart pounded in his chest as Allen stared at the girl a few feet in front of him.

"Hello, Allen," she called, her unblinking eyes boring into his soul. "I'm here to play."

Allen could say nothing. His limbs felt like lead weights, unable to move. It was the same girl he had seen in his dreams, the same one who had been at the club. Here she was, right in front of him, talking to him as if she was real.

"_Allen? Allen are you there?"_ Lenalee asked over the phone, confused at the silence.

"Who are you?" Allen asked the girl, ignoring Lenalee for the moment. "What do you want?"

The girl smiled. "Oh, Allen. You don't remember me? I'm hurt — I really am." She twirled the umbrella at her side, like a child playing in the rain. "We go way back, you know."

Allen said nothing, but as she spoke, flickers of images crossed his mind. He saw her, saw others like her. Even if he wasn't sure who she exactly was, Allen was positive she was trouble. He needed to get away. "Just… stay away from me."

"_Allen, what's going on?"_ Lenalee asked, worried.

"Since you have some holes in your memory, I'll fill them in," she started, stepping forward and tossing the umbrella over her shoulder. She cocked her head to the side as she watched Allen with dead eyes. "My name is Road Kamelot, and I've come to kill you. Again."

Allen took a step back, a shiver of fear running through his body. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Road pushed forward again, her eyes never leaving Allen's form. "You and your friends took people from me — family. _Precious people._" The sinister glint in her eyes frightened Allen. "And I'm going to take my revenge for the Noah clan. It all ends tonight."

"What?" Allen asked, confused.

Suddenly, his left eye stung, a stab of pain slicing through his cornea. He covered the eye for a moment, then gasped. When he looked up, he saw a monster next to the young girl. It was a hulking mass of muscle and fur, nearly twelve feet tall. To Allen, it resembled a cat, if only in shape. The fur was dark purple, and razor sharp spines stuck out from its back and arms. Sharp fangs glistened in the faint glow of street lamps, and a low growling emitted from the beast's throat. It stood on its hind legs, front paws lined with claws ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Allen stared at the monster, heart stopping at the sight before him. It was bad enough that the monster towered over him like a giant mass of evil, but from his left eye he could see something hideously deformed floating behind the beast. It looked as if something was bound to it…

_Akuma_ a voice in Allen's head sounded off. _Save its soul…_

"My akuma shall take care of you and your friends, Allen," Road cooed, pressing her hand to her lips to stifle a laugh.

The mention of his friends brought Allen back to reality. "Friends? What do you mean?" Road only smiled and Allen's face when white with worry. A sudden shriek over the phone tore Allen back to Lenalee. "Lenalee!? What's wrong? Lenalee?" There was a crash of glass, a thump, then the line went dead. Allen stood frozen for what felt like an eternity. Something was after Lenalee. He had to get to her.

Allen shoved the phone in his pocket and tried to run, but the monster blocked his path, slashing out with its claws and barely missing Allen's face. If he hadn't jumped back when he did, he might have lost an eye.

"Sorry, Allen. It doesn't work like that. You don't get to save the princess in the castle until you beat the boss," Road laughed. She jumped up to a hefty branch in a nearby tree to get a better view of the upcoming fight. "Now, stay and play. I want a good show before you go."

The monster then attacked with full force, jumping at Allen like a cat would pounce on its prey. Allen dodged, tumbling to the side and past a grouping of bushes. He started to run, blood pumping in his veins, pounding in his ears. There was no time to deal with this when Lenalee was in trouble! He had to get back to the apartment. However, his escape was once again thwarted. The monster clipped his leg, causing Allen to fall to the ground, rolling a few times before hitting a nearby park bench. Allen coughed, sitting up uneasily.

"Tsk, tsk. That's no way to fight. Where's that exorcist spirit?" Road demanded, still watching the fight from the safety of the tree.

Allen winced as he pulled himself to his feet, his body quaking with fear and adrenaline. The akuma's slitted eyes regarded him with disdain as it lumbered towards him. Allen gritted his teeth, the fingers on his left arm twitching uncontrollably. Something welled up inside him, something hidden there all this time. Looking up at the monster, Allen narrowed his silver eyes. Stretching out his left arm, the words left his mouth, as they had a million times in another life. "Innocence, activate."

The light burst forth around Allen, encompassing him in a protective and warm glow that forced the akuma to back off, furry arms blocking the light from its eyes. Allen sighed, letting the energy flow off of him in waves as his arm transformed into a clawed weapon. The familiar fluttering of the white cloak behind him comforted him as he gathered his wits and stared at the monster cowering in front of him. "This ends here, Road," he announced, standing tall.

The akuma jumped towards Allen, but the white haired man dodged, the monster tipping forward and losing its balance as it missed its target. Without hesitation, Allen swiped his claws through the monster's back, slicing off an arm as he did so. The akuma cried out in pain, black blood spilling out of the wounds. With one more swipe of the claws, Allen beheaded the beast, the body bursting into dust.

With a frown on his face, Allen turned back to the Noah girl in the tree, only to find she had disappeared. His eyebrows knit together. "Road, where are you?" he demanded, anger welling up in his chest.

"No time for that, Allen dear. Your precious friends are in trouble," Road's disembodied voice taunted.

Allen shook his head, her words reminding him again what was really at stake. "Shit!" he cursed, taking off in a sprint towards his and Lenalee's apartment. He had to get there before she got hurt. If something happened to Lenalee, he would never forgive himself.

xXxXxXx

"Allen, what's going on?" Lenalee asked, holding her phone to her ear, irritated and upset. She could barely hear someone else's voice over the phone talking to her friend, but she couldn't make out the words. He sounded agitated, but he wouldn't acknowledge her questions. She sighed, pacing the floor in her living room. Normally, if Allen had been ignoring her on the phone, she would've just hung up on him. However, this time she could hear the tenseness in his voice, the fear.

"C'mon, Allen. What is going on?" she mumbled to herself, her stomach flipping over itself as she tried to calm her worries.

Without warning, the large window in the living room burst open, glass skittering across the room. Lenalee screamed and ducked down to protect her face from the glass, dropping her phone in the commotion. When Lenalee looked up, her breath caught in her throat as terror seized her heart.

The monster was an abomination, black and blue skin shining in the dim light of the living room. It was half human, half scorpion, as far as Lenalee could tell. The lower half of the body was that of a scorpion, while a torso and head of a human controlled two arms with large pincers. A curled, venomous tail threatened to strike at any second, poised above the monster's body. Lenalee would've screamed again, if the air could reach her lungs. Instead, her whole body froze in fear.

The demon ground its sharp teeth at her, pulling its pincered hands up. "Master Road has ordered your demise," it hissed out, staring at her as bloodlust filled its black eyes.

Adrenaline shot through her system then, forcing her to stand up on the glass littered ground. Blood dribbled down her legs and arms, the cuts from the broken glass marring her flesh. She backed up, eyes flickering towards the front door. Maybe if she got out of the confined space, she could make a run for it? Darting to the door, she attempted to pull it open, only to be thrown back as the scorpion tail shot out and lodged itself into the door frame. Lenalee screeched as she jumped back, her only escape from the death trap that her apartment had become averted. She then shot towards her bedroom.

Just as she reached the door, one of the creature's pincers grabbed her ankle, jerking her down to the ground. Lenalee cried out in pain, the sharp claws cutting into her already tender flesh. It pulled her across the ground, over the broken glass, shards embedding themselves into her arms and legs. Lenalee winced as she was pulled, unable to resist. She grasped at anything she could to keep the beast from pulling her closer. When her hand caught her purse, an idea formed in her mind. She dug through the bag, searching the one thing that might save her.

"Your time is up," the monster called, raising its other arm, ready to impale her.

Just before the akuma could strike, Lenalee pulled out her can of mace and sprayed the monster straight in the face. With an outraged cry of pain, it dropped Lenalee from its clawed grip and wiped at spicy mixture burning its eyes.

Lenalee tried to get up, but as soon as she put pressure on her ankle, it gave under her weight. She collapsed to the floor, the akuma still writhing in pain above her. Lenalee crawled under the beast and towards the bathroom, surprised the monster didn't notice her absence. She figured it must have been too focused on its own pain to pay any attention to her. When she crossed the threshold, she closed the door quietly, hoping it wouldn't find her.

She had no chance of running now, not with her ankle fucked up, and the only thing keeping her from passing out was the adrenaline still surging through her veins. Collapsed on the floor, she rested her head against the bathroom tile. Blood oozed from her wounds and a pain seared in her ankles, greater than before.

As the monster in the living room groaned in pain, cursing her for her trickery, Lenalee bit her lip to keep from crying out. The aching in her ankles grew until they throbbed with agony. She tried to sit up to see what was wrong with them, but fell back against the tile once more.

Blood pooled around her feet, moving of its own accord. Lenalee laid there, close to passing out from shock and pain. As the blood crawled up her feet and onto her skin, it wound around her ankles, and as she watched the bizarre spectacle, the blood hardened and became a solid red substance that no longer looked like blood. She stared up at the ceiling, a strange calmness flowing through her.

The pain faded to a dull throbbing as Lenalee pulled herself to her feet in a daze. The sounds of the raging beast still echoed in the living room as the guitarist unlocked the door and opened it, stepping into the open. In a trance-like state, Lenalee walked into the living room, her feet thudding hard against the hardwood floors. She stood in front of the angry monster, no fear left in her body.

The monster scrubbed at its face, as well as it could with pincers for hands, and tried to see. The blurry image of its target was in front of it, completely open for an attack. "You will pay for this!" it shouted, pulling its hands back and ready to strike.

Lenalee simply stood there, and the words that had been present in her mind since the blood anklets formed around her legs finally left her lips. "Innocence, activate."

Light came forth and her anklets turned into a pair of black boots. The power radiated from her, causing the akuma to back away, shocked. Through blurry vision it stared at her, unsure of what the power was. The woman had been weak and useless a moment ago.

Before the monster could think any more on how useless it had presumed Lenalee to be, she jumped up, stretching her legs out in front of her for a powerful kick to the monster's face. The scorpion akuma flew back into the wall, then crumpled onto the floor in a heap. Lenalee stepped up to the beast impassively, and before it could even move, she slammed the heel of her boot into its head, piercing its skull. In an instant, the monster was dust, disappearing from the apartment as quickly as it had appeared.

Lenalee took a deep breath, the calm still radiating through her. She stood there, staring at where the monster had been moments ago. The quiet of the battered apartment broke with the sound of someone tromping up the stairs. The door was thrown open and Allen stood in the doorway, out of breath and looking nearly as ragged as Lenalee was.

"Lenalee!" he shouted, his voice strained with worry. "Are you ok?!" His white cape fluttered behind him, full of its own life. His silver eyes were wide and full of fear. He took in the disaster surrounding them, then looked Lenalee over, seeing she was now using some sort of magical boots, much like his own clawed hand.

It wasn't until Lenalee looked at Allen that her composure broke. Tears spilled over her dirty cheeks and she crumpled onto the floor, heedless of the glass still scattered around. "Allen, it was awful," she cried, her hands limp against her thighs.

Allen knelt next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling his friend into a tight hug. Lenalee cried against his shoulder as he rubbed her back, holding back his own tears of relief that she was safe. He kissed her cheek, overwhelmed with happiness. He may have been late, but Lenalee hadn't needed his help after all.

xXxXxXx

"If this place were any deader, I'd need to call a coroner," Lavi complained, resting his head on the counter. Their last customer had left nearly an hour ago, leaving Lavi and Kanda with nothing to do but tidy up the already clean bar.

The clinking of glass distracted Lavi from his boredom. Turing around, he watched Kanda as he grabbed a few stray beer bottles and added them to a garbage bag that was already filled to the brim. The bag was so full of bottles, even Kanda was having trouble wrangling it.

"Recycling time already?" Lavi asked, pushing away from the counter and helping Kanda with the garbage.

"We might as well. There's nothing else to do right now," Kanda grumbled, tying the bag shut to keep the bottles from escaping.

Lavi groaned under the strain of lifting the heavy bag, grabbing the bottom while Kanda balanced the top, sharing the load. "After we get this done, we should just close the bar. No one's coming anyway."

"Sounds fine to me," Kanda agreed, ready to hit the road.

They maneuvered through the room slowly, heading towards the back exit. Kanda pushed the door open as they lumbered through. The garbage and recycling dumpsters were located out of the way in the back parking lot. The lot was empty, save for Lavi's car and Kanda's motorcycle. The night air was cool, a light breeze wafting through the back alleys with the smell of damp asphalt and exhaust tainting it.

They hobbled towards the dumpsters in the back lot, awkwardly carrying the garbage bag between the two of them. Once they reached the dumpster, Lavi set his end of the bag down, then unlocked the bin. It was only half full of other recyclable items, so there would be no issue dropping off this bag.

Lavi helped Kanda toss the bag into the dumpster, then wiped his hands on his pants and closed the bin. "Please tell me that was the only bag."

"Sure. That was the only one."

"Really?"

"No, I lied. There are five more."

"Goddammit, Yuu!"

Kanda smirked as he turned around and they headed back to the building. Sometimes, Lavi made it too easy.

Lavi grumbled next to the smug bartender, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. "Yuu, you're so mean," he whined, kicking a stray rock across the parking lot.

Just as Kanda was about to reply, a violent howl ripped through the night air. Lavi and Kanda froze in their steps. The silence that came after the noise was more frightening than the cry itself, leaving Lavi nervous as they stood out in the open of the empty lot. Not even the neighborhood dogs were barking.

"What the fuck was that?" Kanda asked, eyes wide as he looked around them for the source.

Lavi was silent for a moment as he considered the possibilities, then banished the horrid thoughts as soon as they came. "I don't know and I don't want to find out. Let's get back inside."

They hurried towards the building, but before they could take more than two steps, something struck them so fast they didn't see it coming. Lavi and Kanda skidded across the asphalt near the dumpsters, hitting the containers with a loud thump. Lavi groaned on the ground, curled up in a ball. Whatever had hit him managed to take the wind right out of his lungs. Cracking one eye open, he looked over at Kanda, who was already sitting up and holding his stomach. Kanda's eyes were focused on something in front of them. Lavi followed his line of sight. He gasped at the thing in front of them.

It stood nearly ten feet tall on four legs, each appendage lined with nasty green scales. The feet had black claws, scraping against the ground. The thing that seized Lavi's breath was the sight of its multiple, hideous heads — five in total. Each of them had a gaping mouth full of teeth, no doubt sharper than razors. The eyes of each glowed green, eerie in the darkness. A thick tail swung back and forth behind the beast's hulking body.

Lavi tensed up next to Kanda, pressing his back against the dumpster, as if the harder he pushed back, the further he would get away from the monster.

Kanda was frozen in the fear next to the redhead, a grimace on his face as he stared back at five headed monstrosity.

As four of the monster's heads thrashed about, the gaze of one remained fixed on the pair, drool dripping from its snarling lips. It spoke without moving its mouth. "Ah, a two for one special. Master Road will be pleased."

Lavi swallowed down what little spit hadn't dried up in his mouth and looked over to Kanda. His friend met his gaze and nodded. Before the creature could move any closer, the two men jumped up and ran in different directions around the monster. Kanda made it around the beast without a problem, just missing the teeth of one of the heads.

Lavi on the other hand, slipped on some loose gravel at the last second as he veered around the monster, losing his footing. It was only for a second, but that was a second too long. One of the monster's heads attacked, grabbing Lavi's arm and yanking him back. Lavi cried out, momentarily blinded by pain as the flesh of his right arm tore in the beast's mouth.

Kanda, who was nearly back to the building, turned around at the sound just in time to see his boss thrown to the ground, one large, clawed foot stepping down on Lavi's chest.

"Lavi!" Kanda shouted. He looked around the lot to see if there was anything to use as a weapon.

The redhead coughed when he hit the asphalt. As the monster pressed down onto him with its foot, the coughing stopped — turning into a wheeze. He could barely breathe as the beast bore down on him, its heads whipping about above him. The monster was in a near frenzy with the smell of blood in the air. Lavi's right arm was shredded from the monster's razor sharp teeth and blood had pooled around him as the akuma continued to press down on his chest.

Lavi felt like he was about to black out any second. The pressure on his chest made him feel as if he was about to pop open like a shaken soda bottle. His arm throbbed as it leaked blood onto the ground around him. Lavi's vision blurred as the clawed foot pressed down again.

He was certain that this was the end. Lavi closed his eyes and waited, wondering if the creature would simply crush him to death, or if it might bite off his head. Lavi wasn't sure which of those ends sounded worse. However, before he could think on his impending death any longer, the weight was suddenly lifted from his chest.

Lavi coughed, turning on his side to catch his breath. When he looked up, he saw Kanda had taken an old rusted pipe and jabbed it into one of the monster's heads. The screeching sounds coming from the wounded head echoed throughout the empty lot, making Lavi wince. He tried to cover his ears, but he was too exhausted to waste the energy. He cradled his arm and forced himself to stand, close to toppling back to the ground as he still tried to get air into his lungs.

With the monster's focus on Kanda, he was now taking the brunt of the attack. He managed to keep it occupied for a moment, fending off its chomping heads using the old pipe. However, he would need a better weapon to fight such a vicious beast. It wasn't long before the monster ripped the pipe from Kanda's hands. Kanda backed away and turned to run, but he was captured much like Lavi had been.

The vicious, tooth-lined mouths of two of the monster's head snatched up his arms and pulled in opposite directions, stretching him out and lifting his body off the ground. Kanda ground his teeth in pain as he was pulled in two directions at once, his flesh ripping as the teeth tore into him.

Lavi still felt out of it from the lack of oxygen, but he could see that Kanda was in trouble. He grabbed the pipe that Kanda had lost with his good hand and limped near the fray with determination in his eyes.

With as much strength as he could muster, Lavi jabbed the pipe into the monster's back. It shrieked, dropping Kanda from its jaws, the pipe stuck in its massive back. As it flailed around, the large tail hit Lavi, knocking him on his ass. His elbow hit the pavement and caused him to wince, the pain radiating throughout his body.

"Shit," Lavi growled, wincing as he hit the pavement. He looked over at Kanda who was still spread out on the ground. He had taken more damage than Lavi had. The long haired man had long gashes down both arms from the monster's teeth. Lavi tried to get up again, but his limbs were weak with pain, forcing him down. The monster moved away from them, giving the two men a reprieve as it attempted to dislodge the pipe from its back

Lavi lay back against the hard ground and stared up at the sky, breathing heavy and labored. Everything hurt and there was no one to come help him or Kanda. The redhead thought of Allen for a moment as he gazed up at the stars, and a pang of regret shot through his heart. He couldn't give up, not when he knew how much it would hurt Allen. Besides, he had to see him again.

As he thought about the white haired man, a strange sensation prickled Lavi's skin. He could feel the blood on his right arm moving, though not as it had been. It dribbled down to his wrist, collecting around his skin. He tried to sit up and see what was going on, but he was too sore and exhausted to move.

The blood hardened into a bracelet, encircling Lavi's wrist. As the last drop found its place, Lavi's eyes widened. He could feel it — a power that he hadn't felt in a long time. It was a power that had been gifted to him in another life. A rush of memories clicked into place. He knew what to do now — how to stop the monster.

A wave of strength washed through him, pushing him to get off the ground and to his feet. Lavi stood, wobbling as he straighted, green eyes glazed over as he faced the monster still flailing near him. Two familiar words he had spoken a lifetime ago flew from his lips as his face hardened in determination.

"Innocence, activate."

The blood bracelet melted and re-formed in Lavi's hand. The shape twisted and twirled until the weight of Lavi's hammer fell into his hands. With skills he didn't know he had, Lavi twisted the weapon in his hands with ease. Without another thought, he willed the hammer to change shape, growing until it was nearly the size of a car.

As if it weighed no more than a feather, he swung the hammer, slamming the akuma in the side and forcing it across the parking lot. The monster crashed into the nearby building, coming to an abrupt halt as it rammed faces first into the brick wall.

Lavi blinked, still not quite aware of what was going on. He stood, waiting for the akuma to charge once more. As the monster got its bearings, it turned its angry sets of eyes on Lavi.

"That will be the last mistake you make, exorcist!" it cried out, finally ripping the pipe from its back. With an ear splitting scream of anger, the akuma darted towards Lavi.

The redhead held up his weapon, ready to defend himself and Kanda from the attack, but never got the chance.

"Innocence, activate."

Kanda shot forward, glowing sword in hand. He moved as if he had been possessed, each slice of his sword a perfect cut. In a few perfect strokes, he removed two of the monster's heads before jumping back to avoid an attack from the remaining three.

Lavi grinned. "Nice work, Yuu."

"Quiet, you idiot rabbit. It's not dead yet."

"Yeah, yeah," he bantered back, the familiar dialogue echoing the past. Lavi pulled his hammer up, ready to fight once more, but froze as he watched the demon in front of him. The two heads Kanda had chopped off had disappeared into dust, but what Lavi wasn't expecting was for two more to grown in place of each head lost. Now, instead of a five headed demon, they had to deal with a seven headed one.

"Fuck," Kanda growled, adjusting the sword in his grip. He ignored the blood still dribbling over his arms and hands.

"Good job! Look what you did!"

"Shut up and just fight the thing," Kanda shot back, ready to attack again.

Lavi held out his hand and smiled. "Don't worry. I think I know what to do."

Kanda watched Lavi as the redhead moved forward, hammer in hand. The grin on his face made it clear that he had a plan.

The akuma hissed with all seven of its heads. "As you can see, cutting off my heads will only leave you worse off than you started. You cannot defeat me." Its voice echoed, as all heads spoke at once.

Lavi chuckled as he stopped in front of the demon. "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve," he announced, pulling his hammer into the air and spinning it around. "Level two!"

Fire shot up around Lavi as he worked the innocence in his hands. The akuma backed away, unsure of what the redhead was up to. Its heads snarled as Lavi stood in front of it, snapping its jaws in a fury.

Lavi's green eyes narrowed, focused on the beast in front of him. "Fire Seal," he said, his voice heavy with power. The giant fire serpent swirled in the air, twisting in on itself before engulfing the monster in its flaming jaws.

Lavi watched as his innocence burned the monster to a crisp, leaving nothing but ash in the parking lot. As the flames died down, Lavi could feel the weight of everything falling on his shoulders. With shaking arms, his hammer returned to its original form — the bracelet around his wrist made of hardened blood. He fell to his knees, wincing as the pain in his body returned. The thrill of the fight had temporarily dulled his pain, but its numbing effects started to wear off, reminding the redhead just how thrashed he really was.

Looking to his left, Kanda seemed to be in a similar situation. The sword that had been in his hands moments ago disappeared, leaving two identical red bracelets on his wrists. Kanda stumbled, but managed to stay upright. He looked over to Lavi, confusion on his face.

Lavi wasn't quite sure what happened, but he knew one thing for sure. With an exhausted laugh, he wiped the sweat and blood from his face. "Well, I am not bringing out the rest of the garbage tonight."


	13. Chapter 13

_Love, you're in pieces_  
_There's no one left to lay you down_  
_Or say it's okay_  
_On the worst night, of the worst year_  
_Though we might fall, we'll go out punching_  
_You hit me like a subway train_  
_And I will never be the same_  
_And darling I'll follow you down to the ground_

_Even when you fall apart, I'll pick up your bloodstained heart_  
_And darling I'll follow you down to the ground_

_Darren Hayes — Bloodstained Heart_

xXxXxXx

Allen helped Lenalee to her feet, careful of the glass shards littering the floor, and waited until she was steady to take his hand off her shoulder. "Are you going to be ok?" he asked, watching her as if she was about to break into a million pieces, like the window had.

Tears hung in Lenalee's dark eyes, her face red from crying and exertion. She managed to calm her sobbing, but couldn't stop the tears from spilling over her cheeks. "Allen," she began, ignoring his question. "That was one of those monsters, wasn't it? An akuma…"

Allen hadn't seen what did the damage to Lenalee and their apartment, but he was certain of the answer. "Yes. One attacked me on my way home. I tried to get here as fast as I could, but…"

"It's all right, Allen. I took care of it."

Looking down at Lenalee's legs, he noticed the glowing black boots. The energy was faint, but Allen could still see it. "Those boots…" he said, as a memory drifted into his mind. Those were her boots — Dark Boots.

Lenalee took a step, glass crunching underfoot. She looked down at her feet. "They… They appeared… And I killed the monster — like you did, Allen."

Allen swallowed down his anxiety. If Lenalee had the same type of powers he had, then the chances were that they weren't the only ones. His thoughts went back to what Road had said when she confronted him near the park.

"_My akuma shall take care of you and your friends, Allen."_

The white haired man shivered as he remembered the girl's words. Friends… Another wave of fear shot through him. He had been so preoccupied getting to Lenalee, that he had completely forgotten about Lavi. Nervous sweat dripped down his neck as he pulled out his phone and dialed the redhead's number.

Each ring that Lavi didn't pick up made Allen's blood freeze in his veins. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he waited. "C'mon, pick up. Pick up," Allen mumbled anxiously.

Finally, Lavi answered. "_Allen?"_ he asked, sounding out of sorts.

"Lavi! Where are you? Are you ok?"

"_I'm with Kanda at the hospital."_

"What? What happened? Were you attacked?"

"_Yeah,"_ Lavi replied, his voice tired and worn out. "_Can you come by? We can talk about it in person."_

"Of course. Lenalee and I will be right there." Allen got the information from Lavi and left with Lenalee. She needed to get her injuries checked as well, and there was no way he would leave her on her own. As they headed down the stairs, Allen set his jaw tight. Road would not get away with hurting his friends like this. Whatever revenge she was planning, he was determined to thwart it.

xXxXxXx

Lavi sighed as he sat in the waiting room of the hospital, picking at the white gauze wrapped around his arm. The smell of antiseptic burned his nose as he tapped the heel of his foot against the floor. He had been waiting for nearly thirty minutes for Kanda to be released when Allen burst into the room, Lenalee in tow. He stood up to greet them, relief swelling in his chest that everyone was all right.

"Al—" Lavi couldn't even get his boyfriend's full name out before the white haired man engulfed him in a tight hug. The air squeezed out of Lavi's lungs as Allen clung to him, burying his face in the redhead's neck.

"I was worried about you," Allen croaked out, biting back tears.

Lavi swallowed down the lump in his throat and squeezed Allen back. He held back the rush of feelings that swelled in his chest. "I'm all right, but what happened to you two?"

He didn't miss how either musician looked. Allen's clothes were covered in dirt and grass stains while Lenalee was littered with scratches. Even parts of her clothing were torn.

"We both were attacked separately," Allen said, pulling away from Lavi's shoulder, but not letting go of him. He couldn't bear to break physical contact — not yet. "I was on my way home from work and Lenalee was at home. Our apartment is a disaster."

"You both seemed to make it out better than me and Kanda."

Allen took Lavi's wounded arm with a tender touch. "Is it ok?" He didn't miss the presence of the red bracelet around his wrist. It was the same as Lenalee's anklets, after her boots had deactivated. Allen swallowed, unsure of what to make of that development.

"Yeah. I just had to get some stitches," Lavi replied, looking at his arm as Allen examined it. "Well, quite a few actually. But Kanda is a little worse off."

"Is he all right?" Lenalee asked, her eyes lighting up just then.

"Yeah, I've been waiting for him to be released so we could go home."

Allen turned to Lenalee. "Do you want to get your cuts looked at?" he asked. She had been quiet the entire time since they left the apartment. Allen was worried she was in shock over the whole ordeal.

"I'm all right," she replied, her arms crossed over her chest, as if she were cold. She avoided eye contact with Allen and Lavi, instead looking off to the side, distracted.

Allen frowned. Just as he was about to say something, Lavi stole his attention.

"Yuu! You're finally out!"

Kanda, with his ever present frown, walked up to the group. Both of his arms were bound up in gauze, and his usually well kept hair was a mess.

"The doctor took her sweet ass time stitching me up," he complained. When he caught sight of Allen and Lenalee waiting with Lavi, and looking nearly as disheveled as they were, his frown deepened. "I take it we weren't the only ones who were paid a visit?"

Allen nodded to Kanda, his eyebrows knitting together. The fact that they were all attacked simultaneously couldn't have been a coincidence. Though they sustained minor injuries, Allen couldn't help feeling like the damage could've been much worse. His stomach sank as he imagined a darker outcome and shook his head to rid himself of the images.

Turning to Lavi, Allen tried to smile, but his lips only managed to twitch. "Let's get out of here."

Lavi sighed. "Yeah, hospitals give me the heebie jeebies." He took Allen's hand as they left, his fingers trembling.

As they walked outside into the parking lot, the wind picked up, rattling the nearby trees and sending a chill down Allen's back. He still had hold of Lavi's uninjured hand, not wanting to let go of the redhead. He glanced back at Lenalee and Kanda. They were quiet, walking side by side. Lenalee's eyes were downcast, while Kanda looked off to the side, away from her.

Lenalee had been too quiet since Allen had found her in their apartment, and something poked at the back of his mind. Normally, Lenalee would be crying or talking endlessly when she was upset or worried. Her silence set him on edge. Just as he was about to say something, Lavi stole his attention once more.

"Allen, could you drive me and Kanda back to the bar?" he asked. "I don't want to drive with these fresh stitches in my arm."

"Ah, sure," he replied, torn. Allen wanted to stay with Lavi, but he was also worried about Lenalee. They couldn't exactly go back to their apartment, since it was in shambles from the attack.

"Just take me home now. I'll get my bike later," Kanda grumbled from behind, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. Allen didn't miss that Kanda's bandages were even thicker and covered more of his arms than Lavi's did. He figured Kanda just wanted to get home and rest.

Before Allen could say anything, Lenalee spoke up. "I can drive you home, Kanda."

"That'll work. We took my car here, so Allen and I can take that," Lavi added in, his voice too bubbly for the events of the night. He wrapped his good arm around Allen's shoulder, pulling him in the direction of his car. "C'mon, beansprout! Let's go!"

"Beansprout!?" Allen cried out as Lavi pulled him away, indignant. "Lavi!"

"See you later," the redhead called to Lenalee and Kanda as he dragged the now distracted Allen away.

It wasn't until Kanda and Lenalee were out of sight and Lavi's car was a few feet away, that Allen managed to wiggle his way out of Lavi's grasp. "Dammit, Lavi!" he cursed, straightening his shirt. "Why did you drag me off like that? I needed to talk to Lenalee. Don't you—"

Cutting off Allen's tirade, Lavi pulled the white haired man into a tight hug, ignoring his fresh stitches. Lavi squeezed Allen close to him, burying his face in his white hair. Allen was taken aback, not expecting such a reaction. Not two seconds ago, his boyfriend was smiling and joking around. As if flipping a switch, Lavi's entire light-hearted mood fell crashing to the ground. When he spoke next, there were tears choking his voice.

"I was so scared, Allen," he confessed, letting his tears flow freely. "I thought Yuu and I were going to die, and all I could think about was you." He held Allen tighter, his heart weighed down by worry and pain. "I didn't think I was going to ever see you again."

"Lavi…" Allen held him back, the power of his confession overwhelming him. "I'm sorry." It was all he could think of to say. He had never seen Lavi cry before and it shook Allen to the core. Had he been holding back the entire night, waiting until the two of them were alone to let his walls down?

"Allen, I saw it," Lavi whispered, his voice hoarse. "I saw what happened. I remembered it."

"Remembered…?" Allen trailed off, uncertainty gripping him. The same feeling he'd been having for weeks now crept up into his bones. Flashes of memories, his own, but at the same time not his own, washed over him. He had been trying to forget about it, ignore it, but it wasn't working. Allen had felt like his mind was refusing to remember, as if it had been too painful. Every time a memory that made no sense had washed over him, he did his best to push it away. His heart had ached, as if a fresh wound opened. But now that Lavi was recalling things too, Allen was sure he couldn't hide from it anymore.

Lavi continued to cling to Allen, as if his life depended on it. "I saw everything. Gramps. The Black Order. The Akuma and the Noah. And…" he paused, his breath hitching as he choked back a sob. "Allen, I saw you die."

Allen tried to swallow, but his mouth was too dry. His chest continued to ache, though now it was an ache of remembrance. He gripped Lavi's shirt tight, scared to let go. As Lavi spoke, Allen could envision each thing he talked about. He could see the black tower. He could see the monsters and the people – enemies and friends. And he could see Lavi crying over him. He saw the blood, the stars in the sky above, but it was hazy and hurt to think about.

Things started to click together. The girl – Road Kamelot – she wanted to kill them. Again. She had already come so close too many times for Allen's comfort. Her words from their last encounter were making sense, coupled with the memories that were filling his head. Memories of his past life mingled together with this one and created a cacophony in his brain. He was starting to lose track of where his past ended and he began.

Lavi continued, still shaken by the visions. "We all died on that night… First you, then Lenalee, then Kanda and I. I thought I killed her, Allen. I was sure she was dead." He squeezed the white haired man tighter. "I was wrong. I'm so sorry. Now, we're in the same mess again."

Even with his mind and heart in disarray, Allen felt more in control of his emotions than the redhead. With calm hands, he took Lavi by the shoulders and pushed him back so their eyes met. Allen smiled softly as he watched the tears streak down Lavi's face. "It will be all right, Lavi. I promise."

Lavi shook his head, still wrapped up in the memories of his past self. "I thought it would be ok then, Allen. And it wasn't. If it's one thing I know for sure, it's that history repeats itself. What if we're doomed to repeat this cycle? What if we both die again, only to be reborn and killed off once more?" He sobbed, pulling his hands to cover his face. "I just found you, Allen. I don't want to lose you again. It's not fair."

Allen gently pulled the hands away from Lavi's face. "I promise I won't let that happen." Leaning forward, he kissed Lavi's lips softly. When he moved back, he gave his boyfriend a reassuring smile. "C'mon. We should go home. It's getting cold out here."

Lavi nodded, Allen's calm demeanor finally slowing the tears that had refused to stop earlier. Lavi numbly walked with Allen, letting him lead them both to the car.

xXxXxXx

The car ride back to The Flame was quiet. Allen drove slowly down the empty streets, still shaken from everything that had happened. He cast concerned glances at Lavi, who was curled up in the front seat and staring out the passenger window. Allen wasn't sure if Lavi had stopped crying or not, but either way, the redhead was silent as he picked at the gauze wrapped around his arm.

Allen's head was a jumble of thoughts that wouldn't coordinate themselves properly. He tried to focus on the road instead, keeping all the other confusing thoughts at bay. As they pulled into the parking lot of the bar, he sighed with relief that he managed to get them home in one piece. Turning to the redhead, he put on a forced smile. "We're here, Lavi."

Lavi sighed and said nothing as he left the car. Allen followed him into the bar and up the back stairs leading to the apartment. Lavi entered the apartment and didn't bother turning the lights on. Allen paused at the door, watching his boyfriend walk straight into the bedroom, still not speaking.

Flicking on the light switch, Allen closed the door and locked it for the night. He kicked off his shoes and followed Lavi into the bedroom. The redhead kept everything in darkness there as well, and Allen bit his lip. He could see well enough with the lighting from the living room, but even in the half light he couldn't miss how upset Lavi was.

Lavi sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the darkened window and at the empty street. Allen watched as Lavi sat perfectly still, his hands gripping the edge of the mattress. With a deep breath, he followed Lavi and sat down next to him. Allen watched him with weary silver eyes before speaking.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Do I look all right?"

"Lavi…"

The redhead turned to his boyfriend with a frustrated look on his face. "Well, what do you expect, Allen? It's a lot to take in at once." He turned away, fiddling with the bracelet around his wrist as he continued to stare out his window.

Allen pursed his lips. "You act like you're the only one going through this. What about me? And Lenalee and Kanda? We're all in this together, you know."

Lavi ran his good hand through his hair and sighed. "Why did this have to happen?"

Leaning in closer, Allen wrapped his arm around Lavi's waist. He rested his chin on the redhead's shoulder and said nothing. He had no answer, nor was he ready to know what kind of hell they would all be put through because of the turn of events.

Turning, Lavi grabbed Allen and pulled him into a tight hug. Lavi's hand went up into Allen's white hair as he pressed his face into his shoulder. "Don't leave me again."

Allen's throat tightened and burned at the request. A flash of memory shot through his mind. Everything was dark and the stench of blood filled his nostrils. He could hear the words as if they were being spoken aloud. _Please don't leave me – not like this._ Lavi's voice had been defeated and full of sorrow. Broken. He could hear the same tone in the redhead's voice now.

Wrapping his arms around Lavi, Allen squeezed him tight. "I won't," he managed to croak out. His fingers gripped the fabric of Lavi's shirt. Everything was too much and the worrisome mood infected Allen. He took a breath then pulled back so he could look into Lavi's face and smiled.

Allen was sure trite reassurances would do nothing for Lavi. Instead, he looked down at Lavi's wound and stared at the blood red bracelet around his wrist. "So, did this work?" he asked, trying to change the subject. He didn't want to talk about what had happened in the past anymore. He couldn't handle the pain.

Lavi chuckled softly, twisting his wrist as he looked at the crystallized blood. "Pretty damn well, actually." He smiled as he recalled how easy it was to use the transformed innocence and defeat the akuma, as if the knowledge of how to use it was ingrained in his being.

Allen stretched the fingers of his left hand as he looked at Lavi's bandaged arm and the blood bracelet. "Guess you can't really forget, huh? Like riding a bike?"

"Something like that."

Allen said nothing after that. He reached out and took Lavi's injured hand, running his fingers along the palm. He touched the bracelet made of blood, Lavi's blood, and felt a shiver run along his spine, as if he could feel the power inside thrumming with energy against his skin and resonating with his own innocence.

Allen wasn't sure how they could still use their innocence, or how it even managed to manifest itself at just the right time to save their asses. Either way, he was certain they would all be dead right now if it wasn't for their weapons from a past life. Perhaps it was Road's fault? When she found them, their innocence might have reacted accordingly to squash the threat. Whatever the case, they had it now, and they needed to use it to protect themselves and everyone else from Road and whatever Akuma she had left.

Besides, without this bracelet, Lavi would've been…

Suppressing the bad thoughts that threatened to rise, Allen lifted his gaze back up to Lavi's face. He leaned in and kissed the redhead, lips soft and wet.

Lavi smiled as they kissed, and when their lips separated, he gave Allen a wry grin. "What was that for?"

Allen shrugged and smiled back. "For being cute."

"Hey, that sounds suspiciously like something I would say," Lavi joked. "You can't go around stealing people's phrases. That's pretty rude, Allen."

"What are you going to do about it?"

Lavi's grin threatened to split his face in two. "Well, the punishment _should_ fit the crime. I suppose I could keep you from speaking for a while."

Allen laughed softly, shaking his head. "Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?"

"I'm _so_ happy you asked for a demonstration!" Without another word, Lavi grabbed the front of Allen's shirt and pulled him in for a deep kiss.

Allen simply let Lavi take over his mouth, their tongues dancing together. Lavi pushed him against the disheveled sheets on the bed, and Allen fell back without a fight, his hands sliding up and down the redhead's torso.

When Lavi separated their lips to start in on Allen's neck, the white haired man couldn't help but giggle when he hit a sensitive spot. "Lavi, that tickles."

"Shh, you're being punished," Lavi reprimanded airily, still focused on the soft spot where Allen's neck met his shoulders. He straddled Allen's hips as he pressed him into the blankets, a smile on his face.

Allen sighed happily, his mind untroubled for once that night. The tenseness in his body relaxed at Lavi's touches and Allen closed his eyes, letting himself be caught up in the moment. They needed to forget – to be able to pretend that everything was all right, even if it was only for a few hours.

They were just about to take things further, when a hauntingly familiar voice broke into their world.

"Aw, how sweet. You two are going to give me cavities," Road said, her voice full of fake admiration.

At the sound of the Noah's voice, Lavi shot up from the bed and off of Allen. He took a defensive stance, eyes narrowed at the silhouette of the girl in the bedroom doorway. Allen sat up slower, shocked at the intrusion. He watched Road with suspicion as he eased off the mattress and stood next to Lavi.

"Get the fuck out of my apartment," Lavi growled, his fists balling up at his sides.

"Now, that's no way to treat a guest," Road complained with a childish huff.

"If you don't get out now, I'll _make_ you get out."

Road grinned, her teeth gleaming in the darkness. "Oh, please try, Bookman. I _really_ want you to try."

Lavi started to dart forward, hell-bent on attacking the intruder, but Allen caught his arm and pulled him back. "Lavi, wait." His voice was more calm and reserved than should have been possible.

"Let me go, Allen!"

Ignoring Lavi's protest, Allen watched Road with unwavering silver eyes. "What do you want?" he asked, cool and collected.

Road shrugged and leaned against the door frame as she straightened her skirt. "Straight to the point? I suppose I can indulge you." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the two men standing not five feet from her. "Allen, I didn't like how things played out tonight. I'm really disappointed. So, I'm requesting a rematch. You and your friends will meet me at the abandoned amusement park outside of town tomorrow night."

"We're not playing your games, Road," Lavi spat out, still shaking with barely contained anger. Allen still had a hold on his arm, keeping him at his side.

"I believe I was speaking to Allen."

Lavi strained against Allen's grip, his blood boiling. He would've attacked the deceptively young girl if Allen hadn't had hold of him.

Allen's face remained stoic, though there was a hint of anger in it. His calm tone was the antithesis of Lavi's anger. "We're not going to meet you."

Road sighed, as if she expected such a response. "That's too bad. Really, it is. I guess I have no choice then." She pushed off of the door frame and placed her hands on her hips. Staring at the two men, she smiled. "If you four don't meet with me, I'll be forced to let loose my akuma on the town."

Allen's eye twitched. He wasn't sure how many of those monsters were left, but even one could cause irreparable damage. There was no doubt in Allen's mind that if Road went ahead with her threat, innocent people would die. "You're bluffing," he said, his face still placid.

"Then call it," she replied, amused. "Either way, I'll be having fun. If you don't meet me tomorrow night after sunset, I'll set every akuma I have free." She disappeared then, as if she were only a shadow, her voice echoing off the walls of the apartment. "Things will end tomorrow night. Don't disappoint me."

Allen let go of Lavi's arm after Road vanished. He stood there, dazed, while Lavi ran into the other room to check to make sure the Noah had really left. Allen took a shaky breath, his calm shattered. His legs gave out under him and he fell back on the bed.

"She's gone," Lavi announced with a scowl on his face as he returned to the bedroom. "It was probably just one of her illusions."

Allen rubbed his eyes, barely hearing what the redhead was talking about. His body was shaking. He thought they would have more time…

"Allen" Lavi asked, joining him on the bed. "Are you ok?"

"Lavi, we have to do what she said. We have to meet her."

Lavi's green eyes narrowed. "Are you out of your fucking mind?! You know it's a trap. There's no way we're going out there just to get ourselves killed."

"We have to… We don't have a choice." Allen pulled his hand away from his eyes and looked back at Lavi. "We can't let her hurt anyone else."

Lavi's throat tightened as he watched Allen try to keep his emotions in check. The night had been so crazy that Lavi wasn't sure what to feel anymore. He knew Allen was right — they couldn't let Road do what she wanted. They needed to confront her, but at the same time, the redhead was beyond shaken and feared losing Allen during the encounter. Instead of voicing his opinions, he pulled Allen into a tight hug and listened as he sniffled into his shoulder.

It took a few moments for Allen to regain his composure. When he did, he pulled out of Lavi's embrace and refused to meet his green eyes. He fumbled around in his pocket until he pulled out his cell phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"Lenalee. We should tell her and Kanda about Road."

Before Allen could even find Lenalee's number in his contact list, Lavi pulled the phone from his hand and locked the screen. "No, leave them be for the night."

"But, Lavi… They need to know."

"Tell them tomorrow. We'll all figure it out in the morning." Lavi set Allen's phone on the nightstand. "There's no point in freaking them out right now. We should all get some rest."

Allen sighed. "I suppose." He lay back on the bed, grabbing a pillow and tucking it to his chest. His whole body was tense — there was no way he would be able to sleep tonight.

Lavi walked out to the living room and turned off the lights, slowly walking through the apartment. When he returned, he joined Allen in bed, not bothering to change into his pajamas. Slipping behind Allen and pulling the sheets up over them, Lavi grabbed him and held him close. He breathed in deeply, inhaling Allen's scent and trying to not think about tomorrow, about what they had to do. His arms tightened around the white haired man, not wanting to let go.

"Allen," Lavi whispered, his face buried in his white hair.

"Hm?"

Lavi paused for a moment, silently measuring his words before he spoke them. "I love you."

Allen let out a breath, then turned around. Without a word, he placed his hands on Lavi's face and kissed the redhead with tenderness. His thumbs ran over Lavi's cheeks, caressing his skin. When their lips parted, Allen managed to smile, even if it was weighed down with sadness.

"I love you, too."

Lavi kissed him once more before speaking. "Allen, I promise I won't let anything happen to you this time."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you," Allen replied with a soft smile.

"Hm," Lavi mumbled, brushing Allen's hair out of his face. "Well, let's both keep our promises. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Let's do that."


	14. Chapter 14

_I don't wanna have to lie about what's inside_  
_When there's always been a tiny part of me_  
_I'm trying to hide_

_I don't want to see your expression when I let you down_  
_And I just want you to love me_  
_Oh, I just want you to love me_

_Darren Hayes — I Just Want You to Love Me_

xXxXxXx

Lenalee cut the ignition of her van as she parked on the street next to Kanda's apartment building. It was a tall complex, housing nearly a hundred residents. Lenalee wasn't used to such a large place, instead finding her tiny apartment house with only five other residents more to her liking. She could know each of her neighbors by name, connect with them on a personal level. Here, that would be a near impossibility. Though, she supposed, Kanda probably liked the anonymity.

The entire ride had been silent, save for Kanda's directions. Lenalee had followed them without comment, her mind too jumbled to do much other than listen and drive. As soon as the van had come to a stop, she just stared out the front window, confused and tired. Kanda hadn't moved yet either, and the silence was deafening.

A moment passed before Lenalee shook herself free of the cloud wrapped around her mind. "Um, we're here."

"Yeah," Kanda replied, but didn't move from the car seat. He continued to sit there, staring out the window and his arms loosely crossed over his chest. Lenalee turned her dark eyes to him, unsure of how to proceed. She moved her feet together and felt the blood anklets clink against each other. The sound was faint, but it echoed in the silence of the van. At the sound, she looked at the matching pair of bracelets around Kanda's wrists. A sick feeling pulled at her stomach as she looked away.

The memories were unmistakable. This had all happened before, in a past life. As soon as the crystal innocence formed on her ankles, she knew everything. Some memories were hazy, others clear as day. Her past life and her current one mingled together in her mind to the point where she barely could distinguish one from the other. It had to be the same for Kanda, for Allen and Lavi as well. They all had to be experiencing this. It wasn't until Kanda finally spoke up that Lenalee's thoughts were broken.

"Are you going back to your apartment?"

Lenalee shook her head. "No, it's trashed right now. Besides, I don't want to be there alone, and Allen is staying with Lavi tonight."

Kanda was quiet for a moment, looking off out the passenger window. Finally, he opened the door and hopped out of the car. "All right then. Let's go."

"Go? Go where?"

"You can stay with me tonight."

Lenalee still sat in the van, surprised. "A-Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother."

Kanda sighed, exasperated. "Lenalee, I'm not leaving you without a place to stay for the night." He stood holding the van door open, watching her with quiet impatience.

Lenalee sighed, then pulled the keys from the ignition and grabbed her purse. She knew Kanda was right – she didn't really have anywhere else to go, besides Lavi's apartment, but she didn't want to disturb him or Allen. It was bad enough that she was bothering Kanda and crashing at his place, but there was nothing to be done about it, unless she wanted to sleep in her van.

Locking up the vehicle, she followed Kanda into the building and up the stairs. The halls were lit low and everything was the same drab brown, as if someone made sure the walls and the floor would match perfectly in combined boredom. Every hall was lined with doors at exactly the same intervals. Kanda led her to the stairway and they walked up flight after flight.

When Lenalee's legs were finally starting to burn with exhaustion, they made it to the top floor. They walked through the hallway until Kanda stopped in front of a door marked 1313.

Kanda pulled keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, leaving it open for Lenalee to follow after. As the lights turned on, she took in the apartment.

Everything was clean, neat, and simple. Unlike her and Allen's apartment, which was littered with potted plants, picture frames, and knickknacks, Kanda's space was void of most everything. Even as a studio apartment, where the only separate room was the bathroom, everything was perfectly placed. There was a bed in the one corner, sheets and blankets tucked in. A small couch and coffee table lined the opposite wall and a dinky kitchen with the smallest stove and refrigerator she had ever seen filled one corner of the apartment. Even in the tiny space, Lenalee felt as if she had more than enough room. How did Kanda live with so few things? She didn't think she could get by like that.

Closing the door behind her, Lenalee slowly walked into the open room as Kanda dropped his keys onto coffee table, then disappeared into the bathroom. She could hear rustling and cabinets opening and closing. When he appeared again, he had an armful of first aid supplies: bandages, peroxide, cotton balls, and antiseptic ointment. He carefully placed each item on the nightstand near the bed.

"Sit down," he instructed, as he sorted through everything he grabbed.

Lenalee blinked, taken by surprise. "What are you doing?"

Kanda opened the bag of cotton balls, not looking away from his task as he answered. "I'm going to take care of your wounds."

"Ah, no. That's ok, Kanda. Really, I'm fine," she insisted. It wasn't enough that she had to invade his space for the night, but now he was going to take care of her, too? She felt like a burden.

Kanda's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Just come over here and sit down. I'm not going to have you bleeding all over."

Sighing, Lenalee set her purse down on the table and walked over to the bed where Kanda has set everything up. There was no point in arguing and Kanda was right – she should take care of her injuries, minor as they were. She sunk into the mattress as she sat down, her feet barely touching the ground. She watched as Kanda opened the bottle of peroxide and wet one of the cotton balls with it.

Kanda knelt down in front of Lenalee, taking one of her bare legs into his hand as he wiped the peroxide drenched cotton ball over a particularly bloody cut on her knee. Lenalee watched as he worked silently, focused on the task. She smoothed out her skirt as an embarrassed flush of red engulfed her cheeks, hoping Kanda wouldn't catch a glimpse of anything inappropriate. Though, as she watched him, it was clear he was being a total gentleman, only focusing on the multiple cuts and scrapes that marred her legs. They had taken the brunt of the attack, and she knew she had been lucky things didn't end up worse. A few cuts were nothing compared to what could've happened.

Wincing as a larger cut was cleaned, Lenalee looked away and towards the picture window in the wall opposite her. As she stared out into the darkness, her mind drifted to the events of the night. Her head was still a jumble of memories and she was too exhausted to sort them out. She wanted to be alone to think about everything that happened, but even if she was, she wouldn't be able to make sense of it all. There was too much at once, too many things to think about.

Kanda broke the silence then, as he finished cleaning a small abrasion. "Why didn't you have the doctor's take a look at these? Some of them are really deep." He let go of her leg and began work on the next, his hands gently holding her calf.

"I just wanted to go home," she admitted, her dark eyes turning back to Kanda. "Which I guess is stupid, considering I wouldn't have been able to go home even if I wanted to."

Kanda's eyebrows furrowed as he inspected a particularly deep cut, dabbing it gently with the cotton ball. "I'll help you fix it tomorrow," he said as he worked, not looking up from the task.

"You don't have to do that. Allen and I can take care of it."

"If it's as bad as you said it was, then you'll need the extra help."

"No, really it's— Ow!" Lenalee's dismissal of Kanda's offer was cut short as a shot of pain radiated through her leg.

Kanda stopped and inspected the wound further. "…There's a shard of glass in here." He grabbed a pair of tweezers from the nightstand and carefully plucked it out.

Lenalee winced, but once it was removed, she felt much better. "Must've missed that one," she mumbled, looking down at her leg.

A frown set deeply on Kanda's face as he cleaned the cut. He tossed the last of the dirty cotton balls away and grabbed the tube of antiseptic cream. With careful touches, he smeared some on each cut, then bandaged the deeper ones. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke up again. "How did you get glass in your leg?"

Lenalee bit her lip. "It came through the window and… well, the glass got everywhere." A shiver ran through her body just thinking about what had happened. She didn't even want to call the creature by its true name.

"I see…" Finished with her legs, Kanda stood up. He was about to put away his supplies when he spied another cut, this one on Lenalee's cheek. "One more and I'll be done. Hold still." He sat down next to her on the bed, still stiff and formal as he had always been. Gently, he brushed her bangs back behind her ear, then wiped the dried blood off of her cheek, cleaning the wound.

Averting her eyes, Lenalee looked down, staring at Kanda's chest as he worked on her cheek. Her vision blurred as she continued to stare. She thought about tonight and what happened to everyone. She thought about her friends being attacked, about the Akuma. As her mind drifted through everything, picking apart her memories of this life and the past, tears started to form in her eyes.

"Lenalee."

She looked up, her eyes meeting Kanda's as he called her name. She hadn't even noticed she was crying until he wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. Lenalee pulled away from his hand and wiped her own eyes, suddenly embarrassed. "I'm sorry." She sniffled, trying to stop the tears, but they kept coming no matter how fast she wiped them away.

Kanda said nothing for a long moment, simply watching her as she attempted not to cry. Not able sit by and do nothing any longer, Kanda grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in close, resting Lenalee's head against his shoulder. She stiffened in his arms at first, shocked at the contact, but slowly relaxed. Kanda wrapped his arms around her, staring off across the room. "Please don't cry," he begged in a low tone. "I can't stand seeing you cry."

"I can't stop," she admitted, pressing her face into his shirt and trying force herself to quit crying. However, the harder she tried to resist the tears, the more they poured from her eyes. "I keep thinking about the akuma. They're going to come back again. I know they will. This isn't over. I don't think it'll ever be over."

Kanda squeezed her tighter and he could feel the unfamiliar weight of the blood bracelets on his wrists pressing against his skin. "It will be. I'll make sure of it this time around."

Lenalee's shoulders shook as she tried to hold in her sobs. "I… I just want to have things be normal. I want everyone to be happy. I don't want anyone else to die. Not again"

"I know."

"I was so happy, Kanda. We all found each other." She pulled herself up a bit to wipe at her eyes. "But now… It's going all wrong. I don't want to fight anymore. We shouldn't have to." A fresh wave of tears rolled over her red cheeks.

Kanda gently took Lenalee's shoulders and pushed her back. When she looked up at him with her tear stained face, he said, "Lenalee. We will finish it this time. And no one is going to die. I promise."

Lenalee sniffled as she looked back into his eyes. He was still so strong and unbending, just like she remembered him. She had had flashes of memories all day and even in the past when things were chaotic and horrible, she could always rely on her friends — especially Kanda. He was a rock, and she clung to him to keep her turbulent emotions from sweeping her away. It had always worked before, and the Kanda in this life was no different from the past. Lenalee loved that even after being reborn, he was the same Kanda she had known — the same Kanda she had loved.

Her fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt as she swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Please, promise me again. Promise me you won't let anyone die. Promise me that _you_ won't die." Her grip tightened after that request. "I don't think I'll be all right if you die, Kanda."

"I promise," he replied without hesitation.

Despite the tears still in her eyes, Lenalee smiled. She took a long, calming breath. Her tears were steadily slowing, even though her chest still constricted with anxiety. Kanda's hands fell to her hips, tightening slightly. Her chaotic emotions were stabilizing, but she was still reeling from everything that had happened. She wanted to let her mind clear, to forget about all the traumatic events of the night. As she stared at Kanda, her whirring thoughts slowed to a trickle and the unease in her chest and stomach calmed to a dull ache. Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him. She wanted to be closer to him — let him wash over her and soothe her worries until they disappeared completely.

Kanda was taken by surprise by the kiss, though he knew shouldn't have been. They'd been growing closer over the past few weeks, and even if he'd been keeping his distance, Lenalee was slowly but surely wiggling into his heart. Her lips tasted salty from all the tears she had shed, but under the salt was a sweetness that was only Lenalee's. One of his hands left her hip and cupped her cheek, wiping at the tear stains on her skin. He kissed her back tenderly, unable to keep his distance any longer. Though he seemed unaffected by the attack outwardly, he was as shaken as everyone else. He needed just as much comfort as Lenalee did.

Lenalee pulled him closer and pressed her body against his, her soft curves molding against his chiseled form. One of her hands caught the edge of his shirt and slid underneath, fingers brushing against his warm skin. She ran her hand up and down his side, nails lightly scraping over his muscles.

Kanda shivered at her touch, electricity running through him at the mere brushing of her fingertips over him. A swell of desire ached in his chest. But even as much as he needed and wanted it, Kanda pulled away and broke the kiss. "Lenalee… We shouldn't," he said slightly out of breath.

Lenalee deflated quickly, but kept her hands on him. Her tired eyes began to water once more. "Why? Why can't we, Kanda?"

He had no real reasons to give, so instead remained silent. He looked away from her wet eyes, unable to see her cry anymore.

Her lips trembled as she watched him. "Kanda, do you not care about me?"

The long haired man scoffed. "Of course I do," he replied harshly.

Lenalee set her hands against the sides of his face and made him look at her again. "And you know I care for you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then what's the problem?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Why can't I be with you the way I want?"

Kanda remained silent, forced to watch her as she broke down again — only this time it was of his own doing. Each tear that slipped down her cheek cut a fresh wound in his heart. It was becoming unbearable.

Lenalee's head drooped, unable to hold her gaze with Kanda any longer. Instead, she stared at her lap, shaking her head slightly. "Same old Kanda," she mumbled, her hands slipping down from his face and back into her own lap.

Her words struck a chord in Kanda, a dark dread filling him. He heard those words before. She had said them when…

_Blood. There was so much blood. How could one tiny woman contain so much blood? He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. She was still alive, for the moment, and he had to focus on her, remember every last detail._

"_I… I'll find you again," she spoke, as if such a thing would be possible._

_Kanda tried to swallow, but there was no spit left in his mouth. He tried to ignore the pain in his heart, but it was becoming unbearable now. His eyes were locked with Lenalee's. "Not if I find you first."_

_Lenalee smiled, the tears spilling over her cheeks once more. "Same… old… Kanda…" After his name left her lips for the last time, her head lolled to the side, her eyes closing._

Kanda shook himself out of the memory and swallowed down the lump that formed in his throat. He tried to banish the images from his mind, but they were all he could see.

Lenalee continued, still staring down at her lap. "You never wanted me before. Why should I think this time around would be any different?"

"That's not true," Kanda shot back at the accusation, frustration clear in his voice.

Lenalee finally looked back up at him. "Is it? If you did, you never showed me. Not once. I…" her voice died then, unable to finish her sentence. She shook her head. "Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I should go."

Lenalee stood and tried to walk away, but before she could even get both feet on the floor, Kanda grabbed her arm and jerked her back to him. She fell in his lap with a gasp, her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her midsection, holding her tight against him.

"Kanda, be careful of your stit—"

"I've always loved you."

The silence surrounding them after Kanda's confession hung in the air. Lenalee froze in Kanda's lap as she stared off into the dimly lit apartment. She sat there, numb, as Kanda pressed his face into her shoulder and hair. She could feel his breath hot on her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

"K-Kanda?" she asked, not quite sure she heard him right.

"But I'm not good enough for you, Lenalee," Kanda added, still not letting her go. His arms tightened around her slightly. "That's why I never…"

Sighing, Lenalee gently took Kanda's hands and pulled herself free from his hold. A small smile graced her features as she turned around and kissed him. When she sat back and looked into his embarrassed face, she said, "Kanda. I decide who is good enough for me. And I decided long ago that you are more than good enough. I love you."

It was as if the ice around his heart broke, crumbling at her words. He might not have thought he was good enough for her, but she did. It was enough to crack his shell, forcing him to let his wants and desires surface, even if it was just for one night. He always had such a tight wrap on his emotions that letting them go was nearly overwhelming. Kanda reached out and took Lenalee's hand in his, lifting it to his lips and kissing the inside of her wrist.

Kanda's lips were still on her skin as he spoke once more. "Then if you want me, I'm yours."

Lenalee blushed, not used to Kanda being so forward. Still, her red face didn't stop her from acting on his offer. She leaned in and kissed him, their lips molding together perfectly. Kanda pulled her closer, his arm wrapping around her back and resting there as they kissed. Lenalee was the first to push her tongue past his lips. What had started as a chaste kiss quickly turned deep, vibrating with long repressed emotions that were bubbling towards the surface and ready to burst free.

Kanda's unoccupied hand moved to her hip, sliding under her shirt and caressing the soft skin of her stomach and side. The gentle touches earned him a soft moan from Lenalee and he couldn't help but smile against her lips as they continued to kiss. Lenalee clung to the front of his shirt, as if he would disappear if she didn't keep hold of him.

Shifting positions, Kanda pushed Lenalee back against the bed, their lips parting. She moved with him across the neatly tucked in sheets and blankets, watching him as he hovered over her. She could feel her heartbeat quicken, thumping loudly in her ears and drowning out any other noises. When her head hit the pillows at the top of the bed, she stopped. Kanda leaned down and began kissing her neck as his fingers ran trails of burning fire over her skin. He slid his hands up her shirt, moving all he way up to her breasts. His thumb ran over the delicate lace of her bra as he trailed kisses over her shoulder and neck.

Lenalee sighed happily, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling Kanda closer as he touched her with a sweetness he would never show anyone else. This was just for her. One of his legs was planted firmly between hers, and she squeezed it between her legs.

Taking things further, Kanda's hand slipped under her bra, fingers squeezing the soft flesh bound under it. Lenalee's breath hitched, her face becoming redder as his thumb rubbed over the small, pert nipple that grew hard under his touches. He kissed up Lenalee's jaw and found her lips once more, the kiss deeper than before. His desire doubled as he continued to explore Lenalee's body, becoming bolder.

For Lenalee, she felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. She wanted him to hurry up and touch her more, touch her everywhere, but at the same time, her head was spinning with this step to further their relationship. She wanted to give all of herself to Kanda, and wanted him to give her everything of him in return. Her hands ran down his strong back, and as she reached the bottom edge of his shirt, she tugged at it, trying to pull at the offending item.

Sensing her annoyance, Kanda sat back and pulled the shirt off and over his head, letting it fall to the floor without another thought. He took the chance to rid Lenalee of her shirt. He fiddled with the hooks of her bra for a moment before managing to free her of that as well. His breath caught in his throat as he looked down at her naked form for a moment, taking in the sight.

Just as Lenalee was about to question why he stopped, Kanda leaned down and captured one of Lenalee's nipples in his mouth. She gasped loudly, surprised, but the shock turned into a soft, low moan as his tongue rolled over her sensitive flesh to tease her more. Lenalee's legs slid up, rubbing against his. Her skirt hitched up exposing her creamy thighs to the cool air of the apartment. Her hips wiggled, pressing herself against Kanda's leg and letting out another moan.

Kanda was surprised how sensitive Lenalee was. Every time he touched her, she reacted, as if she never been touched before. The thought that they should have been doing this a long time ago crept through his mind, but he shoved it away. They were here now, and that was all that mattered. Following Lenalee's lead, Kanda slipped a hand down past her skirt, pushing it out of the way and tucking his hand into her underwear. He tentatively slid a finger over her most sensitive spot, checking to see if she was ready. When she gasped out his name at the attention, he knew he was on the right track. He captured her lips in a fierce kiss, his finger rubbing over and over her soft wetness.

Lenalee moaned into his mouth, her hands slipping up into his loosely bound hair. She pulled at his dark locks, biting his lip as she tried to keep her hips from moving too much. Lenalee's head was spinning, barely able to tell up from down. Kanda continued to rub her with soft touches, his calloused fingers sliding through the excited wetness between her legs. She had never been so aroused in her life.

When Kanda's fingers left her sensitive flesh, Lenalee was able to catch her breath. She barely registered as Kanda pulled her underwear and skirt over her hips and down her legs, freeing her of the last of her clothing. He pushed her legs apart, and Lenalee was certain he was going to slide into her. However, what she felt next was Kanda's tongue flicking over her.

Kanda held her soft thighs open as he orally pleasured Lenalee, drinking in her sweetness as she moaned under him. He could feel her legs quiver from the erotic stimulation. He was sure if he didn't hold her legs open, she'd crush his head between them — not that he would've minded. After a few minutes, he sat back. Lenalee seemed more than ready for them to continue.

Kanda rid himself of his pants in record time, then leaned over to the dresser. He quickly plucked a condom from the drawer and unwrapped it, pulling it on with ease. Even though Lenalee hadn't touched him, her aroused moans and mews were more than enough to get him hard. When he leaned over Lenalee once more, he situated himself between her legs, and then kissed her. Lenalee pulled his face closer with her hands planted on each cheek, hunger in her insistence.

As they kissed, Kanda positioned himself at her entrance and slowly moved into her. As he entered, she groaned into his mouth, deepening their kiss. When their lips parted, each took deep breaths.

"Kanda…" she panted, her face flushed. She grabbed his sides as he slipped in and out of her, slowly at first. The pressure and fullness overwhelmed Lenalee, leaving her nothing but a babbling mess against the pillows.

Kanda continued to work in and out, finally feeling the pleasure he'd denied himself for so long. With each thrust of his hips, Kanda was pushed closer and closer to the edge of completion. The slow process was tortuously perfect. His hips moved faster with each pass, sending himself and Lenalee spiraling in nirvana.

They moved together as if they were one entity, connected on all levels. Each thrust, each moan, each scratch over flesh was part of one whole. As they worked together, time lost meaning. Minutes compressed into seconds, then stretched out to hours. Neither were sure quite how long they lasted, though the end was vividly remembered.

Kanda pulled Lenalee's legs over his shoulders to get a better angle. As soon as he made the first thrust into her in that position, Lenalee groaned loudly, her body trembling. With a smirk, Kanda hit that spot again and again, pressing in and out of Lenalee with abandon. Her body quaked, orgasm taking over her. As she gripped the sheets and rode out the pleasurable feeling inside her, Kanda continued to pump until he came, not long after her body relaxed against his.

Lenalee panted under Kanda as he let her legs down and slowly pulled out from her. She sighed, finding herself empty and staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes, listening to the rustling Kanda was making. It was only a moment before he returned to her side. He tugged the neatly folded blankets back and covered them both in the now soiled sheets.

Kanda pulled her close to him, their sweaty, naked skin sticking to each other as he brushed her messy hair from her face and kissed her forehead.

Lenalee relaxed in Kanda's embrace, her heart finally calming. A smile clung to her lips as sleep overtook her.


	15. Chapter 15

_What if I told you that your time was up?_  
_That as every second passes there's a moment gone_  
_And in twenty three hours the sun is gonna set, forever_

_Would you hug a little tighter?_  
_Would you let go first?_  
_Would you focus on love and then forget the hurt?_  
_Live in the moment and wish your life away?_

_Darren Hayes — Roses_

xXxXxXx

The buzzing of Lenalee's phone against the hard surface of the nightstand woke her from sleep. With her eyes still closed, she stretched her hand out and tried to grab the rattling object. Parting herself from the warmth at her back, she finally reached far enough to snatch the phone up. With blurry vision, she checked the screen, sighed, and answered the call.

"Allen? Why are you calling me so early?"

"_It's almost ten, Lena."_

His response made her look out the window. The sky was overcast and it felt like it was still early in the morning, when in fact afternoon was fast approaching. She rubbed her eyes. "Fine you win. What do you want?" She sounded more irritated than she wanted to, but he had woken her from a good dream and she was in no mood to be conscious.

Allen hesitated before speaking again. Lenalee could hear worry in his tone_. "Lavi and I need to meet with you and Kanda today, as soon as possible. When can you be ready?"_

Lenalee was about to reply when the phone was plucked from her hand. Kanda took the phone and pressed it to his ear. "Beansprout, leave us alone. We're busy."

There was silence over the phone for a long moment, then a panicked and outraged cry. "_Kanda!? What the hell?! Why are you with Lenalee?"_

Lenalee blushed and covered her eyes with a hand, shaking her head. So much for being discreet.

Kanda could hear Lavi in the background laughing and telling Allen, "_I told you so!"_ Kanda only rolled his eyes at their antics.

"Listen, what do you want that's so important it can't wait until later?" Kanda asked, done with their shenanigans.

Allen's voice turned serious. "_Road appeared in Lavi's apartment last night."_

A frown set on Kanda's face. He knew exactly who Road was. He couldn't forget the face of the Noah who killed them. "And what the hell does she want?" he growled, the muscles in his shoulder's tense.

"_That's why we need to meet up,"_ Allen replied, an edge to his voice.

"Fine. When and where?"

"_Barb's Café, in an hour."_

"We'll be there." Kanda ended the call and gave Lenalee her phone back. His mood completely soured, he lay back down and glared up at the ceiling.

Lenalee sat up in the bed, pulling the blankets up to cover her naked form. She watched Kanda with worried eyes as her fingers gripped her phone tightly. "What's going on?"

Kanda didn't look at her, his dark eyes still fixated on the ceiling. "We have a Noah to deal with. We're meeting the idiots in an hour."

Lenalee swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She bit her lip and looked down at the wrinkled blankets in front of her. She could feel it – things were coming to a head and there was no way to avoid it. She didn't want to get up and face whatever awaited them. Staying in bed with Kanda felt comforting, warm. She didn't want to leave that safety.

"I suppose we should get ready then…" Lenalee said, casting her gaze back out the window. A storm was coming. She could feel it in the air. With a shudder, she started to slide her legs over the edge of the bed, only to have Kanda grab her arm and pull her back. She landed next to him, his arms holding her tight to him.

"Kanda?" Lenalee asked, unable to see his face from the way she landed.

Kanda held her there, not moving. He paused for a moment, before answering her. "Just a few more minutes."

Lenalee nodded, then smiled. "Yes. Just a few more minutes."

Just a few more minutes of peace.

xXxXxXx

Allen tapped his foot impatiently against the floor as he checked the time on his phone again. He looked at the front doors, then back at his menu, then back at his phone. "What's taking them so long?"

Lavi leaned back in the booth, resting one arm over Allen's shoulders. "Calm down. They're only five minutes late." With his free hand, he grabbed the hot cup of coffee the waitress had dropped off earlier and took a long swig. It was going to be a long day – he was already sure of it.

"I said one hour. Not one hour and five minutes."

"You're just mad because Lenalee spent the night with Kanda."

"I am _not_." Allen slapped his menu down on the table, nearly knocking over his orange juice in the process.

Lavi snorted and took another sip from his coffee. "If you say so." He smiled at Allen, even as his boyfriend glared at him. He couldn't help but tease him further. "Did you know that you're adorable when you're mad?"

Allen huffed and pulled his menu up once more, this time obscuring his face from Lavi in a childish rebellion. Lavi's smile only grew.

The door of the café chimed, Lenalee and Kanda entering the restaurant. Lavi waved at them, catching their attention so the two could join him and Allen at the table. Lavi bit his lip to keep from commenting on Lenalee's clothes. He knew that she was wearing one of Kanda's tank tops and an old sweatshirt of his, even if she was still wearing her battered skirt from last night. He glanced at Allen from the corner of his eye. The white haired man glared over his menu, obviously not missing the change in Lenalee's usual attire.

"What took so long?" Allen asked, his menu still up and covering half his face.

Lenalee scooted into the booth seat, Kanda following after. She pulled the oversized sweatshirt tighter around her and smiled softly at her roommate from across the table. "You said an hour, right?"

Allen started to point out their slight tardiness, when Lavi pulled his hand up to cover the white haired man's mouth. Allen glared at Lavi.

"Yes, Allen's just being impatient," the redhead said, hoping to diffuse Allen's anger before he said something he would regret.

The waitress came by to take their orders. She brought out more drinks for everyone before retreating back to the kitchen. When she left, Kanda looked across the table at Allen and Lavi, done with being left in the dark.

"What happened with Road?" Kanda asked.

Allen's irritation with Kanda shifted focus to the first Noah as he recalled last night's events. "She showed up in Lavi's apartment. She gave us an ultimatum."

"What did she say?" Lenalee asked, a worried look on her face as she wrapped her fingers around the steaming mug of coffee.

Lavi took over from there. "She wants us to meet her tonight by sunset — over at the old amusement park."

Lenalee looked down at her coffee, her face folding into quiet despair. She leaned to her right, letting her shoulder brush against Kanda's. His warmth kept her from breaking down like she had last night.

"Sounds like a trap to me," Kanda added in, his arms crossed over his chest.

"No shit," Lavi said, "That's why I don't think we should go."

Allen looked over at the redhead. "You know we have to, Lavi."

"And why's that, beansprout?" Kanda asked, anger at the suggestion clear in his voice.

The white haired man sighed. "Road said if we didn't meet her, she would let loose her akuma in town."

The table went quiet. Lenalee looked up and saw that everyone averted their eyes, not wanting to speak out loud the obvious. She sighed, then pulled her hands from the warm mug she'd been holding. "We can't let that happen. Even if it is a trap, we have to go."

Lavi finally met her eyes, a scowl on his face. "Fuck that. It's not our job anymore."

Allen's head shot up at the comment. "Lavi!" His face contorted in a mixture of shock and anger as he pulled away from his boyfriend.

The redhead didn't back down. "I don't think we should risk our lives for this, Allen." His tone was serious and calm. "Road obviously has a trap set. I'm not about to walk into it and let her do whatever she wants."

"Lavi, we're the only ones who can do anything. You know that," Allen replied.

"I hate to agree with the beansprout, but he's right. We have to go," Kanda said, taking a long gulp of his tea before continuing. "I'd rather get this over with instead of waiting for her to make another move. At least we know we're walking into a trap."

"C'mon, Yuu. Are you serious?"

"Yes. I'm going."

Lenalee sighed. "We have to go, Lavi. All of us. If even one of us isn't there, I'm sure Road will make good on her promise to release her akuma. That's how the Noah work."

Lavi's green eyes took in everyone at the table. "So, I'm the only one who's against this suicide mission?"

Allen's face fell as he watched the redhead. "It's not a suicide mission. We can do this if we work together."

Lavi said nothing to that, and before Allen could continue to try and reassure Lavi that they could defeat Road, the waitress came back with their orders. As she set each plate out, the silence at the table grew heavier, like an oppressive wave of doubt.

As the waitress left, everyone picked at their food, except for Lavi. Allen watched as the redhead stared out the window, the remaining coffee in his mug growing cold, along with his eggs and toast. He rested his hand on Lavi's thigh, a worried look on his face.

Kanda broke the silence. "So, what's the plan then?"

Allen's hand lingered on Lavi's leg for a moment longer before he pulled it away to answer. "I think we should all get our rest today, then meet up again at Lavi's. We can take Lenalee's van and go to this amusement park. I'm not sure what else we can do." He looked down at his deformed arm and stretched his fingers. "If everything up to now has been any indication, we should be able to activate our innocence and fight her with it."

Lenalee set her fork down, pulling her eyes away from the maple syrup covered french toast in front of her. "When… When I had to fight that akuma in our apartment, Allen, it was like I was someone else. I just knew how to fight. I would think the same thing will happen when we are forced to fight again."

Allen nodded. "It was the same for me."

Lavi brought his attention back to the table. "Oh, and this is a good thing? May I remind you all that the last few times we had to fight the akuma, we all got our asses handed to us. How is this any different?"

"We know what we're getting into," Kanda shot back. "And we're not going to be taken by surprise. It might be a trap, but we're aware of it."

Lavi's eyes turned to Kanda, burning with anger. "This isn't just a Noah, Yuu. This is Road Kamelot. The first and oldest Noah. She's not to be taken lightly."

"I'm not, and stop calling me that!"

"Well, maybe if you'd clean out your ears and listen—"

"Guys!" Allen called out, stopping the argument before it could escalate. "We don't have time to fight amongst ourselves. We need to work together, not break apart."

"Allen's right," Lenalee added. "If we're not in sync, then she'll have the advantage. We have to have each other's backs."

When her eyes landed on Kanda, the surly bartender let out a "Tch" and went back to eating his food.

"Fine," Lavi said, turning towards the window again.

Allen sighed, but said nothing. Everyone went back to eating their food, except Lavi, who was still pouting in the corner of the booth. He could feel the waves of frustration coming off the redhead, but didn't know what to do to calm him. Instead, he worked on his heaping plate of pancakes, chewing slowly as he thought about tonight and what they all had to do.

The bills came and everyone paid for their food. As they walked outside into the cool air, Allen looked up at the overcast sky. It seemed there was a storm on the way. Dark clouds were picking up speed and the leaves of nearby trees shook in the wind. He only hoped it would hold off long enough for them to accomplish their task.

"Ok, so we meet up at The Flame at seven?" Allen asked, making sure everyone was on board with the plan.

"Yes," Lenalee said, her face grim with worry. "We'll be there."

With that, the four split off into pairs to get ready for the impending battle.

xXxXxXx

Lenalee parked her van in front of her and Allen's apartment. Without a word, she hopped out, not even bothering to lock the doors, and walked towards the building. A lump formed in her throat as she reached for the front doors to the complex. She hadn't been back since last night, and just looking at the building made her think of the attack she had endured.

Kanda followed behind her, his hands tucked into the pockets of his old, faded jeans. When Lenalee paused at the doors, Kanda stopped next to her. He watched her for a moment, seeing the indecision flicker over her face. Reaching up, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

When she felt the touch, she blinked, then looked over at him. He stood there like always, comforting and steady. A small smile graced her face. Taking a deep breath, she walked forward and into the building.

They headed upstairs, Lenalee leading the way. Her feet hit each step with a soft thud, slow and measured. When she reached the second floor, she swallowed down her apprehension and walked to her door, Kanda still on her heels.

Lenalee's fingers touched the metal doorknob, hesitating before she finally turned it. The door creaked open and she was thrown back into her memories of last night. The picture window in the living room was busted in, glass strewn over everything. Furniture was tossed about the apartment, a few items broken. Lenalee couldn't speak, her throat seized up in the remembered terror from last night. There was still some dust left from when she'd dispatched the akuma, turning him to ash.

Behind her, Kanda's breath hitched. "Shit," he mumbled, peering into the apartment. This was way worse than Lavi's apartment had been after the first akuma attack.

Lenalee said nothing. Gaining some strength, she moved forward, glass cracking under her boots. She had originally planned on cleaning the apartment with Kanda's help, but after Allen and Lavi's encounter with Road, that wasn't an option for her now, unless she wanted to waste her day cleaning, only to fight all night.

Instead, she wanted to pick up some clean clothes and a few other items she needed. Carefully, she walked across the unsteady floor towards her bedroom. Kanda followed her into the apartment, closing the door behind him. He waited in the living room, taking in the surroundings and glaring at the mess.

In her room, Lenalee slipped out of her dirty skirt and panties, letting them fall to the floor. She walked to her dresser and pulled out clean clothing. She donned a fresh skirt and a pair of warm leggings as she searched around for a jacket in the closet. When she found her favorite black coat, she pulled off the sweatshirt Kanda had loaned her. Lenalee looked down at the tank top she still wore. It was also Kanda's, since her shirt was dirty and practically ragged from her fight with the Akuma. She couldn't bear to part with the gray tank, however, and instead just pulled her coat over it, zipping the front up.

Grabbing a small backpack from her room, Lenalee stuffed a few other articles of clothing inside and some other items she wanted, and then stepped out of the room. She looked at Kanda, who continued glare at the mess in the apartment, and shouldered the bag. "I'm ready," she said, quietly.

Kanda's attention went to her. He only nodded, waiting for her at the door. Lenalee walked over the glass easier than she had the first time. She held out his sweatshirt.

"Here, this is yours."

Kanda looked away, opening the door so he didn't have to meet her eyes. "You keep it… in case you get cold."

Lenalee smiled, following Kanda out of the apartment. She closed the door and they both headed back downstairs.

Abruptly, Kanda spoke up. "I'll help you clean it up tomorrow."

Lenalee paused on one of the steps, watching Kanda as he continued to descend. Tomorrow. They didn't even know if there would be a tomorrow, not with having to deal with Road tonight. "A-Are you sure?" she asked.

When Kanda reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs, he looked back up at Lenalee, his face set in its usual grumpy fashion. "Yes. We'll clean it tomorrow."

Lenalee let loose a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Tomorrow. It had to come, because she couldn't leave her apartment in shambles. Her landlord would never forgive her. They would do it tomorrow.

Grinning, she continued down the stairs to meet up with Kanda and grabbed his hand. "Tomorrow it is, then."

There would be a tomorrow. There just had to be.

xXxXxXx

The storm broke by noon, rain and lightning splitting the sky open. Lavi left the bedroom window open as he watched the deluge. Raindrops pelted against the asphalt, leaving the sidewalks covered in puddles. The pounding rain was so loud that it drowned out every other noise.

Lavi only wished it would silence his thoughts.

The hours ticked by, faster than he wanted them to. Lavi leaned against the windowsill, feeling a few splatters of stray rain drops making their way inside. He didn't want to fight Road tonight, and more importantly, he didn't want Allen to fight either. They weren't ready. A knot formed deep in his stomach that told him something would go wrong. He could feel it.

Lavi's green eyes flicked to the bed where Allen slept fitfully. He was supposed to be resting as well, considering they would likely be up late into the night, but Lavi couldn't lie still and he didn't want to disturb Allen. How the white haired man could rest was beyond him. Lavi's mind wouldn't shut up long enough for him to decide whether or not he needed to take a piss, let alone quiet down for any kind of restful state.

Still, the rain helped. The cool, moist air chilled his overheated brain enough to keep him from going mad with worry. As he stared at the pelting raindrops, he heard a shuffle from behind him.

"Lavi?" Allen asked, sleep heavy in his voice. "What are you doing?"

The redhead turned his attention to the bed. Allen sat up and rubbed at his eyes. His shirt was rumpled and his hair was a mess, sticking out at odd angles. A sad smile tipped Lavi's lips. Would this be the last time he saw his lover waking like that?

"I'm just watching the rain," Lavi said, his voice soft and nearly drowned out by the storm. He turned back to look out the window.

"You should come and sleep with me. We'll need all the strength we can get for tonight."

"I can't sleep."

Allen watched him silently for a moment, and then pushed the blankets aside. He crawled over the mattress and sat on the edge, watching Lavi quietly. They were only a foot apart, but it still felt like miles. Reaching out, Allen lightly tugged on Lavi's shirt, getting his attention.

"Please, come sit with me."

Lavi let Allen pull him back to the bed, parting from the comforting pitter patter of rain at window. They slipped back under the sheets, and Allen pulled Lavi close to him, resting his head on Lavi's chest.

"Lavi, are you ok?"

"No." There was no point in mincing words. He couldn't keep up the charade that things were all right.

Allen sighed and ran his hand over Lavi's chest. "We have to do it, Lavi. We can't let Road hurt anyone else."

"Why, Allen? Why do _we_ have to do it? We're not supposed to be exorcists in this life. This life should be different — _peaceful_." Lavi closed his green eyes and sighed, exhausted.

"I know," Allen mumbled, pulling the redhead closer. "I feel the same, but there is no one else who can stop her. Can you honestly tell me that you would let Road hurt people and not do anything about it? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I sat by and did nothing."

Lavi was quiet for a long time. When he thought about the question honestly, he really didn't care about anyone else. He just wanted to keep Allen and himself safe, the rest of the world be damned. But, he knew Allen would not want to hear that — it would upset him. Instead, he curled up on his side, facing Allen, and pulled him closer.

There was a crack of thunder overhead that rattled the windows of the apartment. Lavi pressed his face into the top of Allen's head, breathing in the smell of his hair. "I don't think the rain is going to let up."

"That would be our luck," Allen said, his voice muffled by Lavi's shirt as he pressed his face into his boyfriend's chest.

Lavi wanted to ask Allen to promise that he would be ok, that they would both make it out of this situation alive, but the redhead knew that wishing and promises were useless. All they could do was try their best and not give up, as much as Lavi wanted to.

Distractions. Lavi needed distractions or his mind would continue to drag him through the murkiest thoughts until there was nothing left of him but a pitiful, sobbing mess. He kissed the top of Allen's head and took a breath, attempting to steady his emotions before they got the best of him.

Slipping down so they were face to face, Lavi kissed Allen, his lips heavy with desperation. Allen reciprocated, his fingers gripping the front of Lavi's shirt. Their lips crashed together, almost bruising in their insistence. As Allen clung to the front of Lavi's shirt, the redhead grabbed Allen's hips and held as close as possible. He needed this to keep his mind off of tonight.

An errant bite to Allen's lip left him hissing in pain as he pulled back from Lavi. "Ah, careful," he complained, wincing.

The mistake shook Lavi back to reality. He sighed and looked at the damage he had done. Allen's lip bled slightly, but it wasn't too bad. The red stain on his pink lips, however, turned Lavi's stomach. "Sorry," he said, gently wiping away the tiny drop of blood with his thumb.

Allen watched the myriad of emotions rippling over Lavi's face. It was as if chaos was swirling inside his boyfriend and was ready to break free at any moment. Reaching up, he brushed the hair out of Lavi's eyes, tucking the loose strands behind his ear. "Lavi, you need to calm down." Allen's voice was soothing and steady, as if he was speaking to a spooked animal.

"If I could calm down, I would've by now."

Sitting up, Allen slipped on top of Lavi, straddling his hips. The blankets slipped behind him as he looked down at the redhead with a soft smile. "I'll help you, then." Leaning down, Allen kissed Lavi, heedless of his nipped lip. Allen ran his hands down Lavi's sides slowly, and when he found the edge of his shirt, he pulled at the fabric.

Lavi's hands moved up to Allen's hips automatically, his fingers gripping the white haired man tight. Allen adjusted his position just enough to press himself up against Lavi's quickly growing hardness. The redhead moaned into Allen's mouth, deepening the kiss.

How Allen knew just the right places to touch, just the right amount of pressure to use, was a mystery to Lavi. Either way, he loved it. He loved Allen. He didn't want to let go of this precious person and he would rather be damned to hell than let Road get her way. He would fight and he would protect Allen — no matter what.

"Lavi, are you all right?" Allen asked, breathless.

His words broke Lavi's thoughts, shaking him back to the present. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" he asked, pulling Allen closer to wrap his arms around him.

"You're shaking."

"Am I?" Lavi asked. He hadn't noticed until then, but Allen was right. His entire body trembled, even as he held the white haired man close. "Sorry, I'm just…" He didn't know how to finish the thought.

"Shh, it's ok," Allen whispered, brushing his lips against Lavi's.

"How are you so calm?" Lavi asked, looking back up into Allen's silver eyes.

Allen smiled. "Because I know everything will be all right."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I'll make sure it is."

Lavi laughed and shook his head. "How the hell are you so optimistic?"

Allen only grinned back at the redhead. "I have to be, to cancel out your pessimism."

"Harsh words, Allen," Lavi joked.

Allen's face turned serious as he looked down at his boyfriend. "I mean it, Lavi. I'm going to make sure everything will be all right. I promise."

Lavi swallowed hard, still staring up into Allen's eyes. "Don't make promises you can't keep. You'll break my heart."

"Your heart is safe with me. I never break my promises."

Lavi took a moment to just stare at Allen. The tremors in his body were subdued by his boyfriend's steady, calm confidence. How was he so perfect? "God, Allen. I love you so much."

Allen blushed and looked away, Lavi's gaze too strong for him to keep his eyes on the redhead. "I love you, too." When his cheeks cooled, Allen managed to turn his silver orbs back to him. "Are you feeling better?"

"Mm, yes. But, I might need to have one more thing before I'm completely better."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"You." Lavi pulled Allen down, their lips meeting in a soft, deep kiss. They picked up where they had left off, hands running under clothing. Lavi moaned into Allen's mouth, losing himself in his boyfriend as the rain continued to beat down on the roof of the apartment.

If Allen said they would make it out of this situation alive, Lavi had no choice but to believe him. All other options were unacceptable. They were going to make it.

They had to.


End file.
